ST. PETERSBURG. May 25 (Interfax) - Moscow is still seeing no alternative to the political settlement of the Syria crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"The Syria situation is a complicated matter since the conflict there has been ongoing for a very long time and has deep roots. The sources of this conflict are both inside and outside of the country," Putin told a press conference on Thursday.
"We must be optimistic, must seek to settle the situation in Syria by political means," he said.
"It is impossible to establish lasting peace without making agreements inside the country between all the conflicting parties. We will do the best we can for this kind of dialogue - meaningful, substantive and trustworthy - to materialize," Putin said.