Putin to Meet Syrian Leader Amid Assad Extradition Demand

The Kremlin has officially confirmed that on October 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with the transitional President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who will arrive in the Russian Federation on a working visit. However, as reported by authoritative international media, along with the official agenda, the upcoming meeting could become extremely tense due to a principled demand from the Syrian side.

According to a statement from the Kremlin press service, the leaders of the two states plan to discuss the development of ties between Russia and Syria in the political, trade, economic, and humanitarian spheres. Another topic of the negotiations will be the developments in the Middle East. The Syrian agency SANA, in turn, noted that the purpose of the visit is to "reorganize bilateral relations" and "explore prospects for political and economic cooperation."

However, according to sources from Reuters and Al Wakeel News, the key and most acute issue of the negotiations will be the fate of the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The sources claim that President Ahmed al-Sharaa will demand that Putin extradite Bashar al-Assad, who received political asylum in Russia after the fall of his regime. The new Syrian authorities intend to bring Assad to trial for alleged crimes during his years of rule.

In addition to the issue of Assad's extradition, according to a Syrian source from Al Wakeel News, the parties will also discuss the issue of the Russian military presence in Syria, in particular, the status of the Tartus naval base and the Hmeimim air base. So, Moscow and Damascus have topics to discuss and bargain over.

It is worth recalling that Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed the leadership of Syria in December 2024, after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime. In February of this year, a telephone conversation took place between Putin and al-Sharaa, during which the Russian side stated that it supports the unity, sovereignty, and stability of Syria. The upcoming talks will show how much the interests of Moscow and the new authorities in Damascus coincide on these key issues.