Commenting on the article, Lombardi told Atlantico that Tierney’s point of view is biased and lacks credibility.
"It portrays the world like many so-called 'analysts' and 'experts' want to see it, and provides no real picture of the world. In the beginning of the Syrian crisis many of them wrote that Moscow will abandon Bashar Assad and he will be toppled in two weeks. And what do we see now?" he said.
According to the analyst, the allegations predicting failure for the Russian operation in Syria were based on initially false assumptions and incorrect historic remarks.
"For example, comparing the Russian aerial campaign in Syria to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 is absurd! First of all, the regional and global environment has dramatically changed since then. In recent years, the Russian Armed Forces has undergone significant modernization. By 2020, they will be re-armed by 70 percent with modern equipment. […] And the operation in Syria has proved those measures highly effective," he said.
According to Lombardi, Moscow has had a clear strategy in fighting terrorism in Syria, including strengthening the Russian position in the Middle East.
He also noted that no one can predict the outcome of Vladimir Putin’s strategy in Syria.
"However, I don’t think Russia will lose in Syria," he underscored, saying that in fact Russian foreign policy enjoys broad support in the international arena.
"Russia is not diplomatically isolated. Many major nations like India support Russia in the UN, and like China in the UN Security Council. What is more, after the November terrorist attacks in Paris, many European countries, particularly France, have started drifting away from the risky US policy in the Middle East. Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Iran and Israel are supporting Russian efforts in the Middle East. Even some Pentagon generals and strategists have called for cooperation in Moscow," the analyst explained.
"Actions of Ankara and Riyadh are contrary to the settlement of the regional conflicts. It seems that the Turks and the Saudis are panicking since their regional strategy has failed. They are supporting militants and hampering the peace process and thus weakening their positions in the negotiations," Lombardi noted.
According to Lombardi, Russia’s persisting support for Assad comes from its unbiased view of the situation: there is no alternative to him so far.
"The Russian strategy is logical and consistent. It protects Russian and European interests as well," he pointed out.
The only risk regarding the success of the Russian campaign in Syria may be the possible rise of terrorist threats in Europe and Russia, the expert added.
"However, Russian security services are well known for their systematic and uncompromised activities against terrorists," Lombardi said.
