Putin talks Syria with its new leader al-Sharaa

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Shaara, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday.

According to the Kremlin’s statement, Putin wished al-Shaara “every success in addressing various objectives facing the country’s new leadership for the benefit of the Syrian nation with which Russia has been traditionally linked by relations of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation.” He also voiced Moscow’s support for Syria’s “unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and its “invariable readiness to help improve the socio-economic situation” in the Middle Eastern country.