Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives in Moscow to meet with Putin and demand the extradition of Bashar al-Assad
Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al-Shara arrived in Moscow on Wednesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official Syrian news agency reported.
This trip, Al-Sharaa’s first official visit to Russia since the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government in December 2024, has high strategic importance and could redefine Moscow’s relations with the new Damascus.
According to Reuters and Al-Arabiya, Al-Sharaa is seeking to ensure Russia’s interests in Syria during this trip, including maintaining the Tartus naval and Hmeimim air bases, which are Moscow’s only bases outside the former Soviet Union.
The Kremlin confirmed that the meeting between Putin and al-Sharaa will take place on Wednesday, and economic, political issues and the status of the bases are on the agenda.
A Syrian official told AFP that Al-Sharaa will formally request the extradition of Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow after his fall, to face trial in Syria.