Obama made the remarks in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” which will air on Sunday.

He said that that Putin’s move in Syria will not present a challenge to US leadership in the Middle East and that the Russian president is making a mistake.

“If you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally, is leadership, then we've got a different definition of leadership,” Obama said.

“Syria was Russia's only ally in the region. And today, rather than being able to count on their support and maintain the base they had in Syria, which they've had for a long time,” he added. “Mr. Putin now is devoting his own troops, his own military, just to barely hold together by a thread his sole ally.”

Russia launched its air campaign on the Daesh (ISIL) in Syria on September 30 at the request of the Syrian government.

Russian air force jet fighters have reportedly demolished numerous vehicles, command posts, communication centers, fuel and ammunition depots, plants used for making bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as several training camps, all used by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

The Russian Navy has also been taking part in the battle against the terrorists by launching missiles at the Daesh targets in Syria from its warships in the Caspian Sea waters. 

On Thursday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Moscow will soon pay the price for launching the airstrikes against the terrorists.

The Russian military campaign against ISIL "will have consequences for Russia itself, which is rightly fearful of attacks,” Carter said, adding that "in the coming days, the Russians will begin to suffer from casualties," the Pentagon chief claimed.

I think Obama really underestimated Russia's Syrian gesture.

If invading the Middle East is not a Russian sign of leadership, why did Americans do it while still yelling "fighting for freedom" and "fighting against terror"?

Nice downplay of the slap to the face tho

Obama and APC are similar in nature.
This man in 8 years has succeeded in destroying america.