Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday where he is set to meet President Vladimir Putin.
Both the Kremlin and Syria's government said the discussions would touch upon “bilateral ties” and the situation in the Middle East.
The visit comes amid fighting in north-east Syria between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Syrian state TV on Tuesday announced that an agreement to cease operations, post government forces in Qamishli and Hasakah, and integrate the SDF into state institutions, had been reached.
It also comes amid reports that Russia is withdrawing its forces from Qamishli airport, a relatively small group compared to its airbase and a naval facility on Syria's Mediterranean coast, both of which it is expected to maintain.
Mr Al Shara last visited Russia in October and held talks on Moscow's assets in Syria.
Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war in 2015, bombing swathes of rebel areas, to prevent the collapse of the Assad regime which it had been the main backer of. Former president Bashar Al Assad and his family have been in exile in Russia since December 2024 when he was ousted by an offensive led by Mr Al Shara's forces.
Last year, Mr Al Shara demanded at a meeting in Damascus that Russia handed over Mr Al Assad and about $2 billion in liquid assets held by the exiled dictator's family in Russian banks, sources told The National at the time. Russian officials declined to comment.
It is unclear whether discussions during Wednesday's visit will also touch on the fate of Mr Assad, who is wanted by Syrian authorities.
Since coming to power, Mr Al Shara has developed closer ties to the US, which had backed the SDF. However, that support has diminished as the Kurdish forces have lost ground.
Israel is becoming a stronger player in Syria after talks in Paris led to an agreement to share intelligence and explored commercial ties.
Israel and Syria agreed to establish a US-supervised joint “fusion” cell to co-ordinate intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial ventures.
