Visiting Russia, Syrian President Al-Sharaa Asks Putin To Leave Bashar Al-Assad

JAKARTA - Syrian interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa will ask Russia to hand over the ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The request will be submitted during Sharaa's inaugural visit to Moscow today Wednesday, October 15. A Russian official source who asked for his identity to be kept secret revealed this.

"Sharaa will ask the Russian president to hand over all individuals who commit war crimes and are in Russia, especially Bashar Assad," said a source on Wednesday, October 15, quoted by AFP.

The long-ruled regime of Assad in Syria was ousted in December 2024. Since then, Assad has taken refuge in Russia.

Syrian state news agency SANA said Sharaa, previously HTS militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, arrived in Russia this Wednesday on an official visit to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin's partner.

The two will discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and regional and international developments that are of common interest.

The Kremlin reports that Putin is scheduled to discuss the fate of Russia's military base in Syria with Sharaa in talks in Moscow.

Russia is known to have two main military bases in Syria Hmeim airbase in Latakia province, and naval facilities in Tartous on the coast.