Vladimir Putin has, for the first time since Sharaa’s forces ousted Bashar al-Assad in December, communicated with Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, confirmed the Kremlin.
Russia, once Assad’s strongest ally throughout the civil war in Syria, now wants to hold on to its military presence as the regime changes. For a long time, Moscow had used its base of Tartous naval and Hmeimim air in northwest Syria to project power in the Mediterranean and Middle East.
The Kremlin described the conversation as constructive, with Putin restating Russia’s support for Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The official statement made no mention of whether the two leaders might have discussed a future for Russian military installations in the country, abandoning which would mean a severe loss for regional convenience in the area of Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Syrian presidency announced that Putin had invited Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani to Moscow for further discussions. According to reports, Putin also expressed a willingness to review agreements worked out prior to this between Russia and Syria under the Assad regime.
At the end of January, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Damascus, and at the time there were reports which indicated that Sharaa had insisted on the handing over of Assad by Moscow, who had reportedly fled to Russia upon his ouster. However, the Kremlin has not publicly commented on the matter.
Changes in Syria’s political landscape will strongly determine Russia’s next steps in charting its role in the governance of Syria and its relative military strength in the Middle East.
