Russia is Being Squeezed Out of Syria by New Regime

Friday, June 27, 2025

The new Syrian authorities are rapidly moving toward international recognition beyond their regional neighbors. Keen to limit the influence in Syria of the previous regime's allies Iran and Russia, even the United States and the European Union have lifted most of the sanctions earlier imposed on Damascus.

The normalization of relations with the West could cancel out the remaining arguments in favor of cooperation with Moscow for the new Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa and his entourage. The growing number of incidents at its military bases indicates that Russia is already being gradually squeezed out of Syria.

Posted by Corky at 01:38 PM | 3 COMMENTS | permalink

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"It was clear from the very beginning that the Islamist al-Sharaa, who overthrew Bashar al-Assad, would not be an international pariah. Turkey played a huge role in forming the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement that took power in January.

After its victory, Ankara predictably started actively establishing cooperation with the new leaders in Damascus. By the summer of 2025, yesterday's Islamic militants counted dozens of countries as their international partners, from Middle Eastern monarchies to the United States and the European Union.

Al-Sharaa's chief supporters are the Persian Gulf monarchies. Riyadh and Doha have already paid off Damascus's $15 million debt to the World Bank, paving the way for the possibility of new loans.

They also said they are ready to pay the salaries of Syrian civil servants, which could result in Syria becoming partly dependent on the Gulf monarchies."