Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s president and a former al-Qaeda leader, arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, October 15, for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported. It is al-Sharaa’s first official visit to Russia since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024. Notably, the fugitive Assad is also currently in Moscow.
SANA said the trip is part of a diplomatic tour aimed at strengthening the new Syrian government’s international standing. The Kremlin talks will cover regional and international developments “of mutual interest,” as well as ways to deepen bilateral cooperation, the agency reported.
Reuters, citing a Syrian source, said a key item on the agenda will be the future of Russia’s military facilities in Syria - the naval base in Tartus and the Khmeimim air base. Al-Sharaa also intends to formally ask Moscow to hand over Bashar al-Assad, who fled to the Russian capital in December, the source said.
The visit comes as al-Sharaa promotes closer ties with Russia and China. “Syria today has established calm relations with Russia and China, based on strategic interests,” he said in a recent interview, adding that Damascus had received “positive signals” from both countries. He stressed that relations with Moscow do not conflict with engagement with the West and the United States.
In July, Syrian Foreign Minister Esaad Hasan al-Sheibani held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, after which Putin received the Syrian delegation. In September, al-Sharaa told the UN General Assembly that Syria is “returning to the world stage” and ready to “open a new chapter of peace and stability.” Wednesday’s visit is meant to underscore the new leadership’s push for partnership with Russia, which is striving to retain its military footprint and influence in the Middle East.
Speaking to international media on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, al-Sharaa questioned Israel’s reliability, accusing it of violating peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. He said there is “enormous anger” among Syrians over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, he said Damascus aims to reach a security agreement with Israel by year’s end. “I hope we will reach an agreement that preserves Syria’s sovereignty, as well as allays some of Israel’s security concerns,” al-Sharaa said.
