Al-Sharaa meets Putin as Russia seeks to secure military bases in Syria

BREAKING, Kremlin has not indicated whether it will agree to al-Sharaa’s repeated requests for Bashar al-Assad’s extradition.Published On 28 Jan 2026Syrian 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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US president praises Syrian leader al-Sharaa after offensive against SDFlist 2 of 3Syrian army offensive overjoys some, leaves others with ‘existential’ fearlist 3 of 3Syrian army, Kurdish-led SDF accuse each other of ceasefire violationsend of listEarlier 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 approachDespite 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.