Putin And Al-Sharaa Forge Risky Military Base Deal
In a dramatic recalibration of Middle Eastern alignments, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Grand Kremlin Palace for high-stakes negotiations centered on the survival of Moscow’s last military outposts beyond the former Soviet Union, marking their second encounter since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The closed-door summit focused on redefining the legal status of the Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval facility on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, assets critical to Russia’s power projection in the Mediterranean and Africa. Putin, acknowledging the extraordinary political transition, lauded al-Sharaa’s momentum in restoring Syria’s territorial integrity, an apparent reference to Damascus’s recent offensive against Kurdish-led forces in the northeast. In return, al-Sharaa emphasized Russia’s historic role in regional stability, pledging respect for all past bilateral accords while insisting on a new framework that guarantees Syrian sovereignty and eliminates extraterritorial privileges.
A newly negotiated memorandum of understanding proposes converting both installations from exclusive Russian sovereign bases into joint civilian-administered sites with training functions, a formulation described by analysts as an elegant compromise. The arrangement would allow Moscow to retain logistical access and a training presence for reconstituting Syrian forces, while Damascus signals to Western capitals that it is no longer firmly within Moscow’s orbit. The Kremlin, in a conciliatory gesture, has already begun withdrawing forces from Qamishli airport in Kurdish-held territory, a deployment long viewed in Damascus as leverage for Kurdish autonomy.
According to Arab News report, the deal remains entangled with Damascus’s unyielding demand for the extradition of Assad and his family, whom Russia continues to shelter in Moscow despite repeated formal requests. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak indicated Moscow’s willingness to expand cooperation into oil field rehabilitation, energy infrastructure and rail reconstruction as part of a broader economic package designed to anchor the security understanding and incentivize acceptance.
The accord, if ratified, would resolve the most volatile irritant in post-Assad Russo-Syrian relations, transforming a legacy of civil war patronage into a transactional partnership. It would preserve Russia’s sole Mediterranean foothold while granting al-Sharaa leverage over Western reconstruction aid and a mechanism to manage disagreements on energy and debt without the base question overshadowing all dialogue, fundamentally reshaping the balance of power in the Levant.
Author: Korkor Anumu
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