Looks more like Putin blinked. The United States military is still the United States military regardless of who is president.
No he did not blink. Assad will not give up weapons that he does not have. Putin is setting things up world opinion wise should the US military unwisely strike and he is forced to go to war.
Putin never wanted to go to war with the United States over Syria. His goal has always been to block the Saudi pipeline. So long as Assad is in power, he accomplishes that. The Saudis have been trying to oust Assad with their army of jihadis. The Saudis are losing so they need American air power to tip the scales. Putin’s move gives up nothing but keeps us out of the skies over Syria.
Assad stays in power, the Saudis don’t get their pipeline, Russia’s monopoly on the European natural gas market is intact, and America is embarrassed internationally.
I’d call this a decisive victory for Russia and Putin.
Don’t bother trying to talk sense to people who are blinded by their hero worship of an unrepentant Soviet mass-murderer. In fact this move by KGB Putin comes across as pathetically desperate. Of course Assad will not give up his weapons. Putin is Assad’s bitch.
Welcome to FR.