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The SDF was always aware that with Daesh "defeated", the American presence and support was anything but permanent. But also, Assad's regime was more of a liability than a guarantor of their safety.

The PYD had many talks with Assad, but they never progressed towards anything that could challenge Al Nusra/HTS/FSA thanks to the corrupt and compromised nature of the Syrian Arab Army (as demonstrated by their total defection and collaboration with Jolani as evidenced by Chinese intelligence in this megathread).

AANES, as we know, is not separatist or Kurdish nationalist. It does have strong influence from the latter, but the KCK gave up nationalism years before the Arab spring. The SDF exists as a guarantor for the political, gender, and ethnic autonomy within Syria, no matter what regime governs it, and made this position clear to both Assad and now Jolani.

Perhaps it would have been prudent to back one side or the other, or to have divested their support for American troops in favour of other nations. On the other hand, perhaps it would have been prudent for Russia and Iran to foresee Assad's obvious weaknesses and court the PYD for such inevitabilities.

Russia already maintained a handful of bases in SDF territory, and specifically invited the PYD to multiple rounds of Syrian peace talks. Iran's troops (well, Hezbollah) fought alongside the YPG against Daesh. Both could have expanded their ties to AANES. What if the Americans opposed, you ask? Well, the Americans maintained a similar number of troops in East Syria as they do in Iraq, and the latter was just fine for Iran to influence via proxies.

In the end, we must remember the historical context for the syrian civil war and the arab spring. Whilst they were openly exploited and influenced by the US empire, they were driven equally by the class warfare enacted by the national bourgeoisies of these countries. Syria was no different, with Arabization wiping out the language rights of millions of Kurds, and a strategic organisation of the economy to benefit Damascus at the expense of its Northern and Eastern peripheries. AANES only ever exports crude oil, for example, as refineries were placed in the South. There were also previous uprisings against Assad in the Kurdish regions years before the revolution. And, finally, the fact that the YPG's initial expansion was thanks to the government forces abandoning them to ISIS and retreating to Damascus.

Sovereignty or independence aren't what AANES was about, but it was also not about overthrowing one government for another. It exists because nothing else filled the vacuum, and continues to exist along the balancing act of surviving between 4 regional powers that see it as a battleground rather than the home of millions of exhausted people who haven't been given a chance to mourn for as long as some people here have been alive.