Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Moscow on Wednesday, marking their first meeting since the ouster of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last year. The talks signaled a cautious but significant reset in the long-standing alliance between Damascus and Moscow, as the new Syrian leadership seeks to maintain Russian support while redefining the terms of cooperation.
Meeting at the Kremlin, President al-Sharaa assured Putin that Syria would honor all prior defense and economic agreements with Moscow, including continued Russian access to its key military installations—the naval base at Tartus and the airbase at Khmeimim in Latakia Province. Al-Sharaa emphasized his government’s goal of preserving “Syria’s sovereignty and stability” while restructuring the relationship on “new foundations of partnership.”
Putin, in turn, hailed Syrian–Russian ties as “exceptionally friendly and historically grounded,” noting that cooperation between the two nations has endured for over eight decades. He praised the “political maturity” of the new Syrian leadership and said Russia remained committed to aiding Syria’s reconstruction and counterterrorism efforts.
According to sources familiar with the meeting, discussions also covered the potential redeployment of Russian military police units to southern Syria as a stabilizing force amid growing Israeli military activity near the Golan Heights. Al-Sharaa reportedly expressed interest in restoring Russian oversight across several former military positions, including areas near Qamishli in the north, as part of a broader plan to reestablish national security and deter further regional incursions.
In an unexpected move, al-Sharaa is said to have privately raised the issue of extraditing Bashar al-Assad, though the Kremlin has not commented publicly on the request. The meeting underscored the unusual turn in Syrian politics—al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, once led opposition forces fighting Assad’s regime before consolidating control over Damascus last year.
Originally, al-Sharaa had planned to attend a broader Arab League–Russia summit, but the meeting was postponed after several Arab leaders withdrew due to ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. Putin subsequently converted the planned summit into a bilateral session with the Syrian president.