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By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent 

Vladimir Putin met Bashar al Assad in Moscow yesterday, after a surprise visit by the Syrian President that was announced by the Kremlin this morning.

Footage shared on Telegram by the Russian president’s press service showed the two leaders smiling and shaking hands, before sitting down and chatting through their respective interpreters.

“I am very glad to see you,” Vladimir Putin was heard gushing to his guest.

Russia has been a key ally for Assad during the Syrian civil war – helping him regain control over the country following an uprising that began in 2011.

But why is he in Moscow now?

Assad said the visit marked the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Damascus. But it feels like there is more to it.

Earlier this week, there was a report in a Turkish newspaper that Moscow could act as host and mediator for a meeting between Assad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan next month. 

Turkey backs Assad’s opponents in the Syrian war and still protects some rebels in the northwest of the country.

Putin the peacemaker? Nothing is confirmed, but it would be a coup for the Kremlin if it happened.

“Considering all the events that are taking place in the world as a whole and in the Eurasian region today, our meeting today seems very important to discuss all the details of the development of these events, to discuss possible prospects and scenarios,” Assad told Putin.

The Syrian leader is the latest in a string of global strongmen to meet the Russian president, which will likely be a cause for concern among western diplomats.

Before Assad, Putin’s most recent guests in the Kremlin were Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who both visited earlier this month.

At the start of July, Russia’s leader met Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan, as well as President Xi of China.

Before that, he was in North Korea and Vietnam.

Despite the West’s efforts to isolate Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader still appears to have plenty of friends.