Putin's "Syrian Gambit" aimed at transforming the relationship with the West on Russia's terms to regain Russia's rightful place as a global power. The Kremlin realized that it was getting stuck in Ukraine, where it could not re-establish Russia's geopolitical parity with the United States. For Washington to take Moscow seriously, Russia needed to reassert its role on a stage where vital U.S. interests were at stake and where Moscow's limited capability could make a global splash. Syria was a perfect fit.
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