Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Syrian regime leader Ahmed Saleh on Friday, the first visit to Russia since the overthrow of Assad¡¯s regime last year.

During the talks, Putin said that Russia and Syria have always maintained friendly relations. "Russia has always followed a principle in its contacts with Syria: giving priority to the interests of the Syrian people".

The Syrian side respected the history of the two countries and all previous agreements, and was ¡°struggling to restore and redefine¡± the nature of relations in a new way to ensure Syrian sovereignty, territorial integrity and security and stability.

A Syrian foreign ministry official said that ¡°economic and political issues, as well as the position of Russia in Syrian military bases, are on the agenda.¡±

On December 8, 2024, the "Syria Sharm Liberation Forces" led by Ahmed Shara announced that it would "liberate Damascus and overthrow the Assad regime," and subsequently formed a transitional administration with personnel from the organization as the main team. Assad and his family traveled to Russia after political upheaval.