Russian President Vladimir Putin has evaluated the evidence for and against claims that Moscow’s Syrian client used chemical weapons against civilians in rebel-controlled districts of Damascus, and – per an interview with the Associated Press – has expressed himself skeptical. The Russian strongman sought to cast doubt on the claims – which have been confirmed by U.S., British, and French intelligence – that the Bashar al-Assad regime deployed the weapons of mass destruction against opposition forces.

Instead, Putin emphasized, the Iran-backed Syrian army was “finishing them off” in a conventional way:

“From our viewpoint, it seems absolutely absurd that the armed forces, the regular armed forces, which are on the offensive today and in some areas have encircled the so-called rebels and are finishing them off, that in these conditions they would start using forbidden chemical weapons while realizing quite well that it could serve as a pretext for applying sanctions against them, including the use of force,” Putin said regarding the allegations against Assad, a staunch ally of Russia.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told Congress today that Russia was supplying Syria with chemical weapons.

Russia had also controversially committed to supplying Syria with advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. Putin himself had recently emphasized Moscow’s contractual obligation to deliver the parts, though today the Kremlin announced that it was suspending delivery of the full systems. S-300 parts had, however, already been reportedly delivered.

[Photo: Radio_TV_IBS_Liberty / Flickr]