Overview
- Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani and defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra met Vladimir Putin in Moscow to expand military, political and economic cooperation, according to SANA.
- Discussions focused on modernising Syrian forces, transferring military-technical expertise and advancing joint work in defense industries, SANA reported.
- Both sides also emphasized closer political coordination and plans to grow trade, infrastructure and investment to support post-conflict rebuilding, with Russia reiterating support for Syria’s sovereignty.
- Sergey Lavrov held separate talks with al-Shaibani on deepening political dialogue and backing stabilization and reconstruction efforts, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
- Multiple reports say Moscow seeks to secure continued use of Khmeimim and Tartous, is redeploying personnel to Syria and is quietly facilitating Israel–Syria security contacts in Baku with U.S. acquiescence, though these moves are not fully confirmed.