Unraveling details of the Syrian Foreign Minister and the SDF leadership met with the US Secretary of State in Munich
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted on the presence of Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi, along with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani, during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026.
Sources familiar with the atmosphere of the meeting revealed that Rubio made it clear to the Syrian delegation categorically that he wouldn’t hold any meeting unless Abdi participated, a position that was met with compliance by the new Syrian diplomacy led by transitional administration head Ahmed al Sharaa.
Abdi sat next to Ilham Ahmed, who is considered the de facto foreign minister of the Syrian Kurds, to the right of Shaibani, and in almost direct confrontation with Rubio.
This scene, which shows a Kurdish leader alongside the foreign minister of an Arab country and a senior US official, was considered by Kurdish circles around the world as a historic moment that reflects tacit international recognition of their role, and even surprised even the deepest observers of Kurdish affairs.
This scene didn’t go unnoticed by Tom Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Syria, who posted a photo of the meeting on the X, commenting: “A picture is worth a thousand words… It’s a new beginning”.
However, follow-up sources indicate that Rubio’s push to include Abdi in the meeting was motivated more by practical than principled, as its mainly aimed at allaying fears in the US Congress and strengthening continued support for the SDF, rather than necessarily a radical change in US policy towards the Kurds.
Despite the symbolism of the Munich meeting, the future of US support for the Kurds in Syria remains at stake.
Reports on the ground indicate that a gradual withdrawal of US forces from northeast Syria has begun, with some units repositioned in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The move raises serious concerns about a security vacuum that could be exploited by ISIS cells or Iranian arms smuggling networks, which threatens a broader regional security threat.
Many politician and experts warned that any full US withdrawal from the region would be a grave mistake and would be read in the region as evidence of the failure of US policy and weak commitments.
On the other hand, Mazloum Abdi seemed more realistic, as he called on the Syrian Kurds not to overdo their optimism, noting that the SDF will remain ready to fight in defense of the Kurdish areas in the event of a collapse of understandings with Damascus or a decline in US support.
