EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Syria on Tuesday to reduce Russia’s military presence in the country during talks in Damascus with President Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to the European External Action Service (EEAS).

“Syria has credible alternatives to dependence on Russia,” Kallas said. She added that “Russia used its bases to help Assad kill Syrians. Moscow still shelters him.”

Syrian state news agency SANA said the meeting between Kallas and Sharaa focused on Syria-EU relations, regional developments and expanding cooperation on reconstruction and development.

Damascus rebuilds ties with Europe

Syria has rapidly rebuilt relations with Europe since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The EU lifted its economic sanctions on Syria, restored the full application of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement and held its first High-Level Political Dialogue with the new authorities in May. In September, the bloc restored ambassador-level representation in Damascus for the first time since 2012.

Kallas said on Tuesday that closer economic ties would depend in part on security, functioning institutions, the rule of law and the equal participation of women.

Rights and accountability

The EU foreign policy chief also called for the protection of Kurdish rights and dialogue in Sweida, the predominantly Druze province in southern Syria.

“Victims need justice,” Kallas said, stressing the need for national reconciliation and accountability for past mass violence.

Her comments come after several episodes of mass violence since Sharaa came to power. A Reuters investigation documented the killing of nearly 1,500 Alawites on Syria’s coast in March 2025 by Sunni militias and government-aligned forces. Hundreds of people were later killed in July during fighting in Sweida involving Druze factions, Bedouin fighters and government forces.

From HTS leader to Western interlocutor

Before becoming president, Sharaa led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist movement that spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad in late 2024.

HTS grew out of the Nusra Front, once al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate. Sharaa broke ties with al-Qaeda in 2016 and later recast his movement around a Syria-focused agenda while seeking relations with Western governments.

That shift has opened the door to direct engagement with Washington. US President Donald Trump publicly praised Sharaa in July and moved to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Russia remains at Tartous and Hmeimim

Sharaa has nevertheless kept ties with Moscow.

In August, Syria and Russia reached an agreement on the future of the Russian presence at Tartous and Hmeimim. Syria is to regain control over civilian operations, while military facilities at the two sites are to become joint training and qualification centres.

The agreement preserves a Russian military role in Syria, but on narrower terms than under Assad, even as Damascus deepens its relations with Europe and the United States.