Syria President al-Sharaa arrives in Russia to meet Putin

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived Wednesday in Russia on an official visit to hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, according to the official Syrian News Agency (SANA).

Al-Sharaa will ask Moscow to hand over the former ousted president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, a government official told AFP.

The official, who requested anonymity as they were not allowed to brief the media, said that "Sharaa will ask the Russian president to hand over all individuals who committed war crimes and are in Russia, most notably Bashar al-Assad", the longtime ruler who was toppled in December and sought refuge in Moscow.