MOSCOW / ISTANBUL

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday congratulated his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, on the progress made in restoring Syria’s territorial integrity.

Opening a meeting in Moscow with Al-Sharaa, who is making his second visit to Russia in four months, Putin expressed his support for the Syrian leader.

"We have been monitoring closely your efforts to restore the territorial integrity of Syria, and I would like to congratulate you on the fact that this process is gaining momentum. We have always stood for restoring the territorial integrity of Syria, as you are aware, and we support your efforts in this very regard," Putin said.

He also noted that thanks to the efforts of both governments, economic cooperation “moved from the dead point” and grew by some 4% recently.

"This may not be as ambitious as we would like, but it is notable. And we have to do everything to preserve this good trend," he added.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow that Putin and Sharaa will discuss the issues related to the presence of the Russian armed forces in Syria.

On reports that Syrian authorities had requested Russia’s withdrawal from an airfield in Qamishli, Peskov said only the Defense Ministry could address such matters.

“As for the deployment of our armed forces on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, this is the prerogative of the Ministry of Defense. We recommend contacting them,” he said.

Wednesday’s visit is the second by Sharaa to Moscow after a similar trip in October 2025.