Putin wants recognition of Russian force in Middle East: GOP candidate

US Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio says Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the recognition of Russia as a geopolitical force in the Middle East.

In an article published on Monday, Rubio accused Putin of trying to fuel more bloodshed in Syria by providing assistance to Damascus in its fight against Daesh (ISIL) terrorists.

The Floridian lawmaker claimed that US President Barack Obama “can’t seem to understand Vladimir Putin’s goals.”

“Putin wants nothing less than the recognition of Russia as a geopolitical force,” he asserted.

“He has already achieved this in Europe, and he is now pursuing the same goal in the Middle East, exploiting the vacuum left behind by President Obama’s ‘leading from behind’ approach,” he continued.

Rubio, known for his virulent rhetoric against Putin, said that the Russian leader’s support to the Assad government will cause more bloodshed in Syria.

“In the absence of American leadership, Syria has become a playground for malign, anti-American forces such as ISIS [Daesh], al-Qaeda… and now Russia,” said the GOP senator.

“The situation will only get worse until the US provides leadership to counter the forces of extremism,” he added.

Last month, in an unusual attack on the Russian president, Rubio called Putin a “gangster”.

“Russia is governed today by a gangster. He's basically an organized crime figure who controls a government and a large territory,” the White House contender said during a foreign policy speech in South Carolina on August 28.

Russia has reportedly sent artillery units and tanks as well as dozens of personnel to Syria. US defense officials said Russia moved fighter jets to a base near Latakia on Friday.

On Wednesday, the chief of the US military campaign in Iraq and Syria acknowledged that the Pentagon’s $500 million program to “train and equip” thousands of militants in Syria has yielded only "four or five" fighters.

The remarks by Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, head of US Central Command, before a Senate panel set off a wave of criticism from congressional lawmakers.

In an interview with CBS News on Sunday, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even attempted to distance herself from the Obama administration’s policy in Syria, suggesting the overall US effort in the Arab country has been a “failure”.

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