After Assad’s fall, Russia tries to hold on in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Syrian counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday, marking their second meeting since the 2024 overthrow of former Syrian leader Bashar el-Assad, a longtime ally of the Kremlin.

It is the Syrian president’s second visit to Russia in four months, after a previous trip in October. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that talks would focus on the state of bilateral relations, prospects for cooperation across several sectors, and the broader situation in the Middle East.

The meeting comes as Moscow reassesses its military posture in Syria. This week, Russia withdrew its forces and equipment from the airport in Qamishli, located in the autonomous Kurdish-run region in the country’s northeast. Russia had maintained a small presence there since late 2019 under an agreement with Turkey.

The withdrawal follows recent setbacks suffered by Kurdish forces, who still control Qamishli but have been forced to cede large areas of northern and northeastern Syria to the Syrian army after weeks of fighting.

Russia was a key backer of Assad and intervened militarily in Syria in 2015 to support government forces against rebels and jihadist groups. At the time, Ahmad al-Sharaa was among those fighting against the Damascus government.

Now in power, al-Sharaa is seeking Assad’s extradition. The former president has been living in Russia since his removal from office.

Assad’s fall has dealt a blow to Russian influence in the Middle East. Still, Syria’s new authorities have so far maintained cordial ties with Moscow, as Russia seeks to retain access to its military bases in the country.

Meanwhile, the government in Damascus has launched a military offensive against territories previously controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The operation has raised serious concerns about security at camps and prisons in northeastern Syria, where the SDF has held thousands of former fighters from the so-called Islamic State group and their families since 2019.

A ceasefire is currently in place and was extended by 15 days on Saturday. Both sides accuse each other of violations, while sporadic clashes continue.

On Tuesday, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States urged Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters to avoid any “security vacuum” that could benefit jihadists from the Islamic State.

After a phone call with his Syrian counterpart, U.S. President Donald Trump said that “everything is going very well.”