BREAKINGBREAKING,

Kremlin has not indicated whether it will agree to al-Sharaa’s repeated requests for Bashar al-Assad’s extradition.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is meeting Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the latter seeks to secure a military presence in the country following the toppling of former Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed ahead of Wednesday’s meeting that talks would focus on “the presence of our soldiers in Syria”, who are located at the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

Earlier this week, the Kremlin reportedly withdrew its forces from the Qamishli airport in Kurdish-held northeast Syria, leaving it with only its two Mediterranean bases – now its only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union.

Moscow has been working to build relations with al-Sharaa since his rebel forces toppled longtime ruler al-Assad in December 2024, aiming to ensure its continued military presence in the country, which serves to bolster its influence in the Middle East.

Pragmatic approach

Despite Putin’s backing of al-Assad with extensive military support, the new rulers in Damascus have taken a pragmatic approach to relations with Russia, allowing Moscow to retain a presence at its air and naval bases.

Al-Sharaa struck a conciliatory tone during his first visit to the Kremlin in October, but Russia’s sheltering of al-Assad and his wife, who fled to Moscow after the rebel uprising, remains a thorny issue.

Peskov declined to indicate whether the Kremlin would agree to al-Sharaa’s repeated requests for the former president’s extradition.

Putin will be especially keen to maintain his country’s presence in Syria, having lost another ally this month, when the United States sent special forces to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The US, which cheered al-Assad’s demise, has fostered ever-warmer ties with al-Sharaa, most recently during fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the military.

A fragile ceasefire is now in place and has been largely holding.