The Putin-Bandar meeting was stormy, replete with warnings of a dramatic turn in Syria. Mr Putin was unmoved by the Saudi offer, though western pressure has escalated since then. Our stance on Assad will never change. We believe that the Syrian regime is the best speaker on behalf of the Syrian people, and not those liver eaters, he said, referring to footage showing a Jihadist rebel eating the heart and liver of a Syrian soldier.
Prince Bandar in turn warned that there can be no escape from the military option if Russia declines the olive branch. Events are unfolding exactly as he foretold.