Moscow as a checkpoint: why the President of Syria flew to Putin again

President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Moscow. The Syrian leader’s plane landed at Vnukovo airport. The visit is taking place without external pomp, but at a moment that makes it politically significant.

The key topic of the talks is the future of the Russian military presence in Syria. At the center of al-Sharaa’s meetings with Putin is the status of Russian bases, their future role, and Moscow’s place in the changing configuration of influence on Syrian territory.

Negotiations between the delegations are planned in the format of a working breakfast. A personal conversation between al-Sharaa and Putin is expected separately, without an extended composition. This format emphasizes the sensitivity of the issues and the absence of ready public formulas.

This is already al-Sharaa’s second visit to Moscow in a short period of time. The first took place in October. Such a quick repeat indicates an acceleration of processes and the need for urgent adjustment of previous agreements.

The visit takes place against the backdrop of reports about the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Qamishli airfield in northeastern Syria, as well as the redistribution of control zones after the Syrian army’s offensive on the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Russian military forces have been in Qamishli since 2019 — after Ankara’s operation and pro-Turkish formations against Kurdish forces. At that time, one of the conditions for the ceasefire was the patrolling by the Russian military police of the line of separation between Kurdish and pro-Turkish formations.

Now this scheme has effectively lost its relevance. After the change of power in Syria and the January offensive of the Syrian army — essentially the same pro-Turkish forces — the Kurds were ousted from territories they had controlled for more than ten years. In such conditions, the practical necessity of the Russian presence in Qamishli has disappeared.

This week, the Reuters agency, relying on open sources, reported that the withdrawal of Russian military from Qamishli has already begun. Without official statements, but with obvious strategic consequences.

Al-Sharaa’s repeat visit to Moscow is not a demonstration of a special alliance, but an attempt to fix new realities. For Putin, the Syrian direction looks less and less like a field of expanding influence and more like a zone of controlled winding down of commitments.

For Damascus, these negotiations are a way to understand how much Russian bases remain a tool of influence and security, and where Moscow is ready to step back, handing over the initiative to regional players, primarily Ankara.

Northeastern Syria is entering a phase of redistribution of control, and Russia’s role in this configuration is noticeably narrowing. Moscow ceases to be a mandatory mediator and turns into one of the participants in the process, forced to adapt to new balances.

This is why al-Sharaa’s visit to Putin is taking place in a compressed, working format and without loud declarations. This is a conversation not about a future alliance, but about fixing a departing structure — and an attempt to exit it without a sharp break. News — Israel News | Nikk.Agency