Syrian leader meets Putin, Russia eyes deal on military bases

Syrian President Sharaa meets Putin in Moscow to discuss military base agreements amid evolving regional dynamics.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow on Wednesday (January 28, 2026), as the Kremlin seeks to secure the future of military bases vital for its operations in West Asia.

Russia was a key ally of Mr. Sharaa's predecessor Bashar al-Assad during the bloody 14-year Syrian civil war.

His toppling at the hands of Mr. Sharaa's rebel forces dealt a major blow to Russia's influence in the region and threw the status of its prized military bases in Syria into doubt.

Mr. Putin has been working to build relations with Mr. Sharaa since, though Russia's continued sheltering of Assad and his wife in Moscow remains a major obstacle to improving ties.

"Much has been accomplished in terms of restoring our interstate relations," Mr. Putin said in a televised meeting with Mr. Sharaa.

"We have closely monitored your efforts to restore Syria's territorial integrity and I want to congratulate you on the momentum this process is gaining," Mr. Putin said, apparently referring to Mr. Sharaa's recent offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria's northeast.