A delegation of Russian diplomats arrived in Damascus to negotiate the future of Russia's military bases in Syria. The talks marked the beginning of potentially drawn-out negotiations about what role, if any, Russia will play in postwar Syria. The meeting demonstrated the kind of geopolitical horse-trading that has begun in the aftermath of Syria's civil war. Russia wants to keep its naval base on the Mediterranean at Tartus and maintain the Hmeimim Air Base outside Latakia. The status of the Russian bases in Syria may not be resolved soon.