Putin hosts Syria's interim leader for talks, with Russian military bases on the agenda

MOSCOW (AP) — Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow on Wednesday for the second time in less than four months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized his readiness to help the country rebuild its war-battered economy.

“I know that there is a lot that’s necessary to restore in Syria, and our economic operators, including the construction sector, are ready for this joint work,” Putin said.

The talks also were expected to focus on the future of Russian military bases in Syria, a key foothold for Moscow in the Mediterranean.

Al-Sharaa, who first visited Russia in October, thanked Putin for helping to stabilize Syria.

He led a swift rebel offensive in December 2024 that ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad, who enjoyed Moscow’s support for years as his government fought a devastating civil war.

Russia, which in recent years has been focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn’t try to counter the rebel offensive. It gave asylum to Assad and his family after he fled the country.

The Russian military recently has begun pulling out from a base in northeastern Syria in an area still controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after the group lost most of its territory in an offensive by government forces.

Putin told al-Sharaa that Moscow always supported Syria's integrity and congratulated him on reclaiming control over the area, describing it as a "very important step."

“You know that we always stood for the restoration of Syria’s territorial integrity, and we support all your efforts in this direction," Putin said.

In the meeting, al-Sharaa emphasized the importance of Russia’s role in supporting Syria’s unity and stability, Syria’s SANA state news agency reported. He noted that in 2025, Syria had overcome major challenges, the latest of which was the reunification of its territories, and he expressed hope for a transition to stability and peace, it added.

Fighting broke out early this month between the SDF and government forces after negotiations over a deal to merge broke down. A ceasefire is now in place and has been largely holding. After the expiration of a four-day truce Saturday, the sides announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.

Despite having been on opposite sides from Moscow during the civil war, the interim government in Damascus has signaled readiness to develop ties in apparent hopes that Russia could help rebuild the war-shattered country and offer a way to diversify its foreign policy.

For the Kremlin, it’s essential to keep its naval and air bases on Syria's coast, the only such outposts outside the former Soviet Union that are crucial for maintaining Russia’s military presence in the Mediterranean. Russian authorities have voiced hope for negotiating a deal to maintain the Hmeimim air base and the naval outpost in Tartus.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and military intelligence chief Adm. Igor Kostyukov were among senior officials who took part in Wednesday's Kremlin talks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the meeting that “all issues related to our military's presence in Syria will be discussed in the talks.” He refused to comment on reports that Syria's interim government had pushed for Assad's extradition.

Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for his meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, welcomes Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, center, for talks during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa pose for a photo during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the grave of his brother, who died as a child during the siege of Leningrad, during a commemoration ceremony at the Piskaryovskoye Cemetery, where most of the Leningrad Siege victims were buried, marking the 82nd anniversary of the World War II battle that lifted the Nazi siege of Leningrad, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Alexei Danichev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

BAGHDAD (AP) — Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed defiance Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw Washington’s support for Iraq if he returns to power.

Al-Maliki, who was nominated last week by the country’s dominant political bloc to return to the premiership, said in a statement: “We reject the blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and consider it a violation of its sovereignty."

Trump in a social media post Tuesday wrote, “Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos,” adding, “Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom.”

Washington has been pushing Iraq to distance itself from Iran and sees al-Maliki as too close to Tehran. His last term, which ended in 2014, also saw the rise of the Islamic State group, which seized large swaths of the country.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s list of candidates won the largest share of seats in November’s parliamentary elections. But he stepped aside earlier this month, clearing the field for al-Maliki after the two competed for the backing of the Coordination Framework, a collection of Shiite parties that is the largest parliamentary bloc.

The framework named al-Maliki as its nominee last week. A parliament session was set to take place Tuesday to elect a president, who in turn would appoint the prime minister, but the session was canceled due to a lack of quorum, with no alternate date set.

Al-Maliki said he would continue to stand for the premiership “out of respect for the national will and the Coordination Framework’s decision.”

Before Trump's statement, members of the Coordination Framework had received a written message from U.S. Charge d'Affaires Joshua Harris saying that “we recall the period of previous governments headed by Prime Minister Maliki negatively in Washington." Two members of the Coordination Framework confirmed to The Associated Press having received the message, a copy of which was circulated widely on social media.

“The selection of the prime minister-designate and other leadership positions is a sovereign Iraqi decision, and likewise, the United States will make its sovereign decisions regarding the next government in accordance with U.S. interests,” the message said.

A U.S. embassy spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s intervention into Iraqi politics came as he weighs carrying out new strikes on Iraq’s neighbor Iran. It also comes as the U.S. has started transferring Islamic State group militants from detention sites in Syria to ones in Iraq.

Al-Sudani came to power with the backing of the Coordination Framework in 2022 but during his first term managed to balance relations with Iran and the U.S. and restrained pro-Iran militias from intervening in support of Iran during last year’s 12-day Israel-Iran war.

Some of those militias have voiced their support for al-Maliki.

Abu Alaa al-Walae, commander of the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada militia, called Trump’s statement “blatant interference in Iraqi affairs,"adding that “the criminal Trump, who physically assassinated the leaders of victory now wants to repeat the act by politically assassinating” al-Maliki.

During his first term, Trump ordered a drone strike that killed powerful Iranian military leader Gen. Qassim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy leader of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group composed of an array of militias, including Iran-backed groups, formed to fight the Islamic State group.

Tamer Badawi, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London specializing in Iraq, said that al-Sudani may well have anticipated the pushback against al-Maliki’s nomination and stepped aside as a political maneuver. That allows al-Maliki to “temporarily steal the spotlight," while the rival candidate's “path to office narrows under the weight of his domestic opponents and even sharper hostility from the Trump camp,” he said.

“Iraq cannot afford the economic consequences of Donald Trump delivering upon his threats,” he said. Those could include imposing sanctions and restricting Iraq’s access to its own supply of U.S. dollars - Iraq’s foreign currency reserves have been housed at the United States’ Federal Reserve.

But that “does not automatically mean the race is now decided in Sudani’s favor,” Badawi said. “A third candidate emerging as a compromise pick remains one of the plausible outcomes.”

Despite the political tensions, the U.S. and Iraq have continued to cooperate, most recently with an agreement to transfer some 7,000 unsuspected IS members from prisons in Syria to Iraq. A new batch of prisoners was transferred on Wednesday, bringing the total to 821.

FILE - Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrives to his political block campaign rally before the parliamentary elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)