Kremlin denies media reports about Bashar al-Assad's wife seeking divorce

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin on Monday denied media reports that the British-born wife of ousted Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad is seeking divorce and planning to leave Russia.

“No, they do not correspond to reality,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in the Russian capital of Moscow in response to a question on the matter.

On Sunday, multiple media reports said that Asma al-Assad, who was born in the UK, wanted to file for divorce in Russia, where the couple has been granted asylum by President Vladimir Putin after anti-regime forces took control of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 8.

According to reports, Asma al-Assad has expressed "discontent" with her life in Moscow and intends to relocate to London.

Assad, who was Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus, ending the 61-year Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Putin’s meeting with Slovak premier

Commenting on Putin’s talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Moscow late Sunday, Peskov said the Russian president conveyed his vision of the situation in Ukraine.

“It was possible to exchange opinions on Ukrainian affairs. President Putin conveyed to his interlocutor his vision of the current situation on the battlefield,” Peskov said.

The spokesman added that Putin and Fico also talked about bilateral relations, which he said “suffered significantly due to the actions of the previous authorities of Slovakia.”

Peskov said the two leaders also talked about energy issues, describing the situation around the supply of Russian gas to Europe as a “very complicated situation” that requires further attention.

“You (reporters) heard the statement from the Ukrainian side, and you know about the position of those European countries that continue to buy Russian gas and that consider this necessary for the normal operation of their economies,” he added.

On Jan. 1, 2025, a contract on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine will expire. Kyiv has voiced that it will not be renewing the contract when it expires at the end of the year.