Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will ask Russia to hand over former ruler Bashar al-Assad during his first visit to Moscow on Wednesday, a government official said.

The official, who requested anonymity as they were not allowed to brief the media, said, “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.

Syria’s state news agency SANA said Sharaa arrived in Russia on Wednesday for “an official visit to hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on bilateral relations between the two countries and regional and international developments of common interest”. (AFP)