Syria and Russia agree to convert Tartus and Hmeimim bases to joint control

Overview

Russia has kept warships at Syria's port of Tartus since 1971. On Sunday, Damascus said Moscow will hand back the port's commercial berth and a coastal airport, and turn both its Syrian bases into shared 'training and capacity-building centres.'

The bases at Tartus and Hmeimim are Russia's only military footholds outside the former Soviet Union, and Tartus is its lone warm-water naval base on the Mediterranean. The deal shrinks how far and how easily Russia can move forces into the Middle East, Africa, and the sea lanes off NATO's southern edge.

Why it matters

Tartus is Russia's only Mediterranean naval base. Losing sole control of it limits how Moscow supplies its ships and moves troops toward Africa and the Middle East.

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Key Indicators

18 months

Length of talks

Time Damascus and Moscow spent negotiating the future of the two bases.

~3 months

Transition window

Deadline to hand civilian facilities back to Syrian state management.

Bases affected

The Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base, Russia's only bases outside the former USSR.

Since 1971

Soviet naval presence at Tartus

A 1971 Soviet lease first gave Moscow's navy access to the port.

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People Involved

Ahmed al-Sharaa

Leading Syria's post-Assad government and renegotiating ties with Moscow

Asaad al-Shaibani

Announced the deal and inspected the coastal sites

Vladimir Putin

Seeking to preserve Russia's foothold on the Syrian coast

Organizations Involved

Russian Navy

Armed forces branch

Losing sole control of its only Mediterranean base

Russia's naval force, which has used Tartus as its only warm-water Mediterranean base and resupply point.

Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Government ministry

Announced the memorandum of understanding

The Syrian government body that announced the base agreement with Russia.

Timeline

December 2024 August 2026

5 events Latest: Yesterday

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August 2026
Syria and Russia reach base deal
Latest Agreement

Damascus announces a memorandum turning both bases into joint training centers and returning civilian facilities to Syrian management within about three months.
Yesterday
January 2026
Al-Sharaa meets Putin at the Kremlin
Diplomacy

The two presidents meet as Moscow pushes to secure Tartus and Hmeimim. Neither addresses the bases publicly.
January 28th, 2026
October 2025
Al-Sharaa's first Moscow visit
Diplomacy

Syria's new leader travels to Moscow, demands Assad's extradition, and opens talks on Russia's military footprint.
October 15th, 2025
December 2024
Assad falls, flees to Russia
Regime Change

Rebels led by al-Sharaa capture Damascus. Bashar al-Assad flees and is granted asylum in Russia, throwing the bases' future into doubt.
December 8th, 2024
Russia evacuates its fleet from Tartus
Military Movement

Satellite imagery shows Russia pulling frigates, a submarine, and support ships out of Tartus as rebels advance on the coast.
December 3rd, 2024

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1991–1992

US leaves Subic Bay and Clark (1991–1992)

The Philippine Senate rejected a new lease in 1991, ending nearly a century of US basing. After the Mount Pinatubo eruption damaged Clark Air Base, the US handed back Subic Bay Naval Base in 1992, its largest overseas naval facility at the time.

Then

The US lost its main forward base in Southeast Asia and relocated forces to Guam and Japan.

Now

US power in the region thinned for years, until Manila invited a limited American return decades later under a rotational access deal.

Why this matters now

A host country forcing a great power off a prized base shows how quickly basing rights can vanish when the political ground shifts.

2002

Russia gives up Cam Ranh Bay (2002)

Russia withdrew from Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, a sprawling Soviet-era naval and signals base, after Hanoi sought market-rate rent Moscow would not pay. It was Russia's largest foreign base outside the former USSR at the time.

Then

Russia lost its main Pacific and Indian Ocean listening post and staging point.

Now

Moscow spent years seeking replacement access and later negotiated only limited return visits, never regaining full control.

Why this matters now

Like Tartus, Cam Ranh was a rare warm-water foothold. Its loss shows how hard such bases are to replace once given up.

July 2005

US evicted from Uzbekistan's K2 base (2005)

After Washington criticized a deadly crackdown in Andijan, Uzbekistan ordered the US out of Karshi-Khanabad (K2) air base, a hub for the Afghanistan war. American forces left within months.

Then

The US lost a logistics node for Afghanistan and leaned harder on a base in Kyrgyzstan.

Now

The eviction showed how a host regime can use basing access as leverage over a stronger partner.

Why this matters now

Damascus's leverage over Moscow, including its extradition demand for Assad, echoes how host states turn base access into bargaining power.