Putin Speaks With Syrian Leader as Russia Seeks Bases Deal

  • Kremlin has sought to keep control of two vital military bases
  • Putin confirms Russian willingness to provide humanitarian aid

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Vladimir Putin  at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 10.

Photographer: Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

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Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Syria’s Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Wednesday amid Kremlin efforts to clinch a deal to keep its bases in the Middle Eastern nation.

The two leaders had a “thorough exchange of views on the current situation in Syria,” the Kremlin said in a statement. During the call, Putin confirmed Russia’s willingness to provide humanitarian aid, and also discussed trade, economics and “recent negotiations in Damascus” with his counterpart, according to the statement.