The West left Moscow no other alternative in Ukraine after it broke all its promises not to expand NATO eastward, Shaaban said in an interview on Ikhbariya national television.

The official noted that what Russia would lose would be much greater if this operation would have not been launched, as it cannot accept a nuclear Ukraine or a NATO member on its borders.

According to Shaaban, there is a common understanding between Syria and Russia towards the international developments, and he explained that the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Russia are the same as those implemented against the Syrian people several years ago.

The presidential advisor explained that blackmail, distortion and intimidation characterize the media campaign against Russia in something similar to those launched against Syria since 2011.

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