Buying the Hatchet

How arms deals are helping Sharaa to make up with Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands in Moscow on October 15. October 15, 2025, 11:12 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

In 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared that “the den of terrorists must be destroyed.” He was referring Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the militant group whose leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

Sharaa has been widely praised as a pragmatist. But his pivot on Russia—a full partner in Bashar al-Assad’s violence against both HTS and the Syrian people—is still remarkable.

In 2019, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared that “the den of terrorists must be

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