Sharaa tells Putin he wants to 'redefine' Moscow-Damascus relations

Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday in Russia he wants to "redefine" the Damascus-Moscow relationship, during his first meeting with Vladimir Putin since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, a former key Kremlin ally.

In front of cameras, Putin warmly welcomed Sharaa to the Kremlin, while behind the scenes, a Syrian official told AFP that Damascus would ask Moscow to hand over Bashar al-Assad, who has taken refuge in Russia with his family since fleeing Syria in December 2024.

"Throughout all these decades, we have always been guided by one thing: the interests of the Syrian people. We have really very deep ties with the Syrian people," Putin said alongside the Syrian leader during the meeting, broadcast by Russian state television.

He said more than 4,000 young Syrians are currently studying in Russia, expressing his hope that they will help strengthen "the Syrian state" in the future. "We are very happy to see you. Welcome to Russia," Putin concluded.

For his part, Sharaa, accompanied by a delegation of high-ranking Syrian officials, said he wanted to "redefine" Damascus-Moscow relations, while also praising the "long-standing historic ties" between Syria and Russia and the "common interests" of the two countries.

"We respect all previous agreements and this great history, and we are trying to restore and redefine in a new way the nature of these relations so that Syria can enjoy its independence, sovereignty, as well as its unity and territorial integrity ... its security and stability," he added.

He specifically noted that part of Syria's food needs depend on "Russian production" and that "many" Syrian power plants require "Russian expertise."

Handing over Bashar al-Assad

After the meeting, which lasted two and a half hours according to Russian media, Russian Deputy Minister Alexander Novak said the delegations discussed delivering humanitarian aid to Damascus, as well as projects in energy, transport, tourism, health and culture.

According to Novak, Russia is ready to participate in the reconstruction of Syria, which has been devastated by almost 14 years of war that began in 2011 with the crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Moscow is also ready to work in the Syrian oil sector: "There are deposits that need to be developed, others dormant and new fields. We are also ready to participate," he said, quoted by the RIA Novosti agency.

Earlier Wednesday, a Syrian government official who requested anonymity told AFP that Damascus would ask Moscow during this visit to hand over Bashar al-Assad and "all those" who have committed "war crimes" and are in Russia. By late afternoon, no Russian or Syrian leader had publicly addressed the issue.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Moscow had provided Bashar al-Assad and his family with asylum for "purely humanitarian reasons" and that they were living "in the Russian capital."

Beyond the fate of the former Syrian leader, the future of the Russian military bases in Tartus and Hmeimim, located on the Mediterranean coast, is also at stake. They are Russia's only official military outposts outside the former USSR.

Moscow extensively used these facilities during its 2015 intervention in the Syrian Civil War in support of Bashar al-Assad, launching heavy airstrikes on rebel-held areas. The Russian Army notably heavily bombed the rebel stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, which at the time was primarily controlled by Sharaa's forces.

At the end of 2019, during a government offensive to retake this area, Moscow carried out hundreds of airstrikes, causing deaths and destroying schools, hospitals, businesses and homes.

Syria's new Islamist leaders are seeking to establish peaceful relations with Russia, despite Moscow's previous alliance with Bashar al-Assad. In July, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani became the first senior official of the new government to visit Russia.

In January, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov led the first Russian delegation to travel to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.