Behind the Scenes of Russian Meetings in Damascus: Will Russia Hand Over Bashar al-Assad?

Reuters quoted a diplomatic source in Damascus, whose nationality was not disclosed, stating that Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, requested during his meetings with Russian officials access to Syrian funds that his government believes Bashar al-Assad had deposited in Moscow. However, the Russian side denied the existence of such funds.

Reuters also cited a senior Russian source who stated that Moscow has not been asked to hand over former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and that it would not agree to such a request if it were made.