Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad met in the Kremlin to discuss the situation in the Middle East, state media reported Thursday.
The situation in the region is deteriorating, Putin said in a video clip released by the Kremlin.
According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, Putin said the situation is becoming increasingly tense, adding that “the talks with President Assad are an opportunity to discuss all possible developments and scenarios.”
According to SANA, al-Assad said that both Syria and Russia “have faced difficult challenges and have always been able to overcome them.”
Russia has been Assad’s main ally alongside Iran for years. The Syrian president last met Putin in Russia in March 2023.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said afterwards that the two politicians had discussed various topics.
He left open whether the talks also concerned a possible meeting between Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
After years of poor diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria, there have been signs of rapprochement between the neighboring countries for over a year now.
Turkey has been a major supporter of the Syrian opposition and anti-government rebels during the uprising that began in Syria in 2011. Turkey has also established military bases in northwestern and northern Syria.
Erdogan severed diplomatic ties with Damascus in 2012, calling Assad a “murderer.” Assad has so far rejected any overtures from his side as long as Turkish troops occupy northern Syria.
