‘Nodding like Bobble Heads’: Putin Comments on NATO members’ Reaction to US Strikes in Syria

Commenting on the recent US cruise missile attack on a Syrian airbase, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday there’s no evidence that Damascus used chemical weapons, but there’s clear evidence of international law violation by Washington.

On April 6, 59 US Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at a Syrian government airbase. US President Trump said that the strikes were carried out in a response to a chemical attack on civilians in Idlib that killed over 80 people.

Speaking on the issue in an interview with Mir 24 TV channel, the Russian leader said that despite there is no evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in Idlib, there is evidence that the international law was violated by Washington.

“Where is evidence that the Syrian troops used chemical weapons? No evidence. And what about violation of the international law? It is an obvious fact,” Putin stated.

As for NATO member-states’ reaction to the US strikes, Putin compared it to the nodding of bobble heads.

“What was the reaction of the NATO allies? All of them are nodding like bobble heads,” Putin added.

Earlier in the day, US Defense Secretary James Mattis spoke on the attack at press briefing at the Defense Department, stressing he had personally reviewed the intelligence on the chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib province and the Syrian government was undoubtedly the culprit. However, he didn’t present any evidence to support his claims.

The Syrian government has denied the allegations and a Syrian army source told Sputnik the country’s military did not possess chemical weapons.

Above all, in January 2016 the Organization for the prevention of Chemical Weapons said it had destroyed Syria’s entire chemical weapons arsenal as per an earlier agreement with the Syrian government.