Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss Russia's plans to strengthen its military presence in Syria.
The two leaders met on Wednesday, just over a year after rebel fighters led by al-Sharaa ousted Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Assad fled Syria on December 8, 2024, and took refuge in Russia. Former President Assad was a longtime close ally of Putin.
During the civil war in Syria, Russian President Putin sided with the former Bashar al-Assad government in Syria and sent it military aid.
In a press conference before his meeting with Putin, al-Shara thanked Putin for his support for preserving unity in Syria, noting that Russia had played a "historic" role in regional stability.
Putin expressed his support for al-Shara's ongoing efforts to stabilize Syria. Putin also congratulated al-Shara for his achievements in restoring Syria's territorial integrity.
Putin and al-Sharaa were on opposite sides of Assad's side in Syria's more than decade-long civil war, raising concerns in Moscow about the future of Russia's military presence in Syria after al-Sharaa came to power.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke about the issue before the two leaders met. Peskov said, "We will discuss the presence of our troops in Syria. Russian troops are deployed at the Khmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base on Syria's Mediterranean coast."
Earlier this week, Russia reportedly withdrew its forces from the Qamishli airbase in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria, leaving the country with only two Mediterranean bases.
These are the only two military positions Russia currently has on foreign soil outside the former Soviet Union.
Historically, Syria has been one of Moscow's closest allies in the Middle East, a relationship that dates back to the Cold War, when the Soviet Union provided extensive military and other support to the Baathist regime in Damascus (first led by Hafez al-Assad and later by his son Bashar al-Assad).
However, al-Shara has downplayed Russia's role in the Syrian civil war. He made his first visit to Moscow since taking power in Syria in October, where he tried to put aside the animosity and maintain friendly relations with Putin.
Bashar al-Assad and his wife have fled Syria and taken refuge in Russia. Al-Shara has called on Russia to return Assad. At an event last month, Shara said that justice would be ensured for Syrians who were victims of the former president's repression.
Putin is expected to be keen to maintain Russia's presence in Syria, especially after losing another close ally earlier this month.
Earlier this month, US forces launched a military operation in Venezuela and ousted President Nicolas Maduro, a close ally of Putin.
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