Syria's president visits Russia to thank his allies for their sacrifices and for 'saving' his country.

Bashar al-Assad has flown to Russia for a few hours to meet his major ally, Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said the Russian president told his Syrian counterpart that the fight against armed groups in Syria is close to finishing. And once it is over, finding a peaceful political settlement will be key.

The opposition has long demanded a future Syria without Assad in power. But he has survived nearly seven years of war and is likely to remain in charge for the foreseeable future.

So, will Assad's opponents come to terms with that?

Presenter: Laura Kyle

Guests:

Marwan Kabalan - director of policy analysis, Doha Institute

Pavel Felgenhauer - Russian foreign policy specialist and newspaper columnist

Ammar Waqqaf - British Syrian Society

Source: Al Jazeera News