Syrian president meets Putin in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed decades of "special" ties with Syria on Wednesday, as he welcomed President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the Kremlin for their first meeting a year after Moscow's close ally Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power.

"Special relations have developed between countries over many decades," Putin told Sharaa in televised remarks. A Syrian government official told Sharaa planned to request the handover of Assad, who fled to Russia after he was toppled, while both Moscow and Damascus said the two leaders would discuss the fate of Russia's military bases in the country.