The long-anticipated agreement closes a period of intense uncertainty in northeastern Syria after rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now the president, seized power in December 2024.
This is the second time that President Vladimir V. Putin has hosted President Ahmed al-Sharaa since the fall of the Russia-backed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Syria’s government and Kurdish-led forces in the country’s northeast have clashed as President Ahmed al-Sharaa seeks to extend his authority across the entire country.
The U.S. military said it had transferred 150 Islamic State detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq and could eventually move as many as 7,000, as the Syrian government assumes control of the region from Kurdish-led forces.
A Kurdish force that helped defeat the Islamic State is collapsing as the Trump administration turns to back the new Syrian government.
As the government moves to assert control over areas under Kurdish rule, it will be the latest test of President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s pledge to form an inclusive administration that empowers minorities.
The government’s move to assert control over areas under Kurdish rule is a major test for President Ahmed al-Sharaa as fresh clashes erupted.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s announcement on Friday came after days of fighting between the government and Kurdish forces. On Saturday, those forces began withdrawing from a flashpoint east of Aleppo.
The takeover ended one of the worst outbreaks of violence between the central government and the Kurdish-led forces since the end of the civil war just over a year ago.
Fighting in the city of Aleppo resumed as talks to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the national military appear to have stalled.