Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Wednesday called for a “redefinition” of Syria’s relations with Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted him at the Kremlin — their first meeting since the ouster of long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad last year.
In a carefully choreographed televised greeting, Putin welcomed Sharaa warmly, marking a symbolic moment in the post-Assad political landscape. But behind closed doors, discussions were expected to be far more tense — with Sharaa reportedly pressing Russia to extradite Assad, who has lived in exile under Russian protection since his fall.
The talks, which lasted more than two and a half hours, also centered on the future of Russia’s military presence in Syria, including the naval base in Tartus and the air base at Hmeimim. Both installations were vital during Moscow’s intervention in the Syrian civil war but now face an uncertain future under Sharaa’s government, which came to power after a coalition of Islamist and nationalist groups ousted Assad in December 2024.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, Sharaa acknowledged the “historic” ties between Damascus and Moscow but stressed the need for a “sovereign and independent Syria.”
“We are trying to restore and redefine in a new way the nature of these relations so there is independence for Syria, sovereign Syria, and also its territorial unity and security stability,” Sharaa said.
Putin, in turn, praised the “special relations” that have bound the two countries for decades, dating back to the Soviet era. Neither leader mentioned Assad directly, but the issue loomed heavily over the meeting.
According to a senior Syrian official who spoke to AFP before the talks, Sharaa was expected to formally request Assad’s extradition, along with several other figures accused of war crimes.
“Sharaa will ask the Russian president to hand over all individuals who committed war crimes and are in Russia, most notably Bashar Assad,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Moscow has so far refused such requests. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed earlier this week that Assad remains in Moscow, insisting his presence was purely “humanitarian.”
“We have granted asylum to Bashar Assad and his family for purely humanitarian reasons. He has no issues residing in our capital,” Lavrov said Monday.
Russia was Assad’s most powerful ally during the 14-year Syrian civil war, launching a decisive military intervention in 2015 that reversed the regime’s battlefield fortunes. Russian aircraft conducted thousands of air strikes against rebel-held areas, including Idlib province, which by the later stages of the war was controlled largely by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — an Islamist faction led by Sharaa before he transitioned into political leadership.
Moscow’s intervention helped Assad reclaim major population centers but at a devastating human cost. Entire districts were reduced to rubble, and hundreds of thousands were killed or displaced.
Russia also brokered a series of “reconciliation deals” that saw rebel fighters and civilians forcibly evacuated from besieged areas to Idlib. HTS, however, rejected these deals, vowing to continue the fight.
In 2020, Moscow officially designated HTS a terrorist organization, a move that strained any future political reconciliation between Russia and Sharaa’s faction. Today’s meeting in Moscow thus marks a significant — if uneasy — attempt to bridge that divide.
Beyond politics, the Kremlin appears eager to maintain its economic footprint in Syria. Following the talks, Russian Vice Premier Alexander Novak said Moscow would continue its involvement in Syria’s oil and gas sector, where Russian energy firms have operated since the mid-2010s.
“Russian companies have been working on Syria’s oilfields for a long time,” Novak said, according to the state-run TASS news agency. “There are new fields where Moscow is ready to participate.”
He added that Russia was also prepared to invest in rebuilding Syria’s transport and energy infrastructure, devastated by over a decade of conflict.
“Our companies are interested in the development of transport infrastructure and the restoration of energy systems of Syria,” Novak noted.
For Sharaa, such investment is crucial as he seeks to stabilize the war-torn country and gain broader international legitimacy. However, his insistence on full sovereignty and the demand for Assad’s extradition could test Moscow’s willingness to deepen cooperation.
While both sides hailed the meeting as “constructive,” the underlying tensions remain unresolved. Russia faces the dilemma of preserving its strategic foothold in the Middle East without appearing to shield a leader accused of atrocities.
For Sharaa, the challenge is equally complex — balancing Syria’s need for Russian economic and security support with the political imperative of distancing his government from the Assad era.
Syrian analyst in Beirut put it, “This is a reset, not a rupture. Sharaa knows Syria cannot rebuild without Russia — but he also knows it cannot move forward with Assad still under Moscow’s protection.”
