Ukraine to restore diplomatic relations with Syria

Ukraine is making preparations to reestablish diplomatic relations with Syria following the recent fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

“This year, we can add more countries to our list of reliable partners, particularly Syria. We are preparing to restore diplomatic relations and cooperation in international organizations,” Zelenskyy said in a Jan. 2 social media statement.

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha held discussions in Damascus with the appointed leaders of the new Syrian administration, including leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, and Foreign Affairs Minister Asaad Hasan al-Shaybani. 

The talks took place on Dec. 30 during Sybiha’s visit to Syria.

“I am here to convey to the Syrian people a personal message from the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy: We are with you,” Sybiha said, congratulating Syrians on their victory to overthrow the previous brutal regime. “We are ready to help the Syrian people, because Ukraine is interested in a stable Syria and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.” 

The fall of Assad’s regime marks a historic moment for Syria, providing “great hope for revival after many years of suffering,” the minister added.

The collapse of Assad’s dictatorship “significantly weakens the expansionism of Russia, which for years has used the Syrian territory, its resources and people as a foothold to spread its destructive influence in the Middle East,” emphasized the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry.

“We remind that it is Moscow that prompted the Assad’s regime to illegally recognise Russia’s attempt to annex Crimea, as well as the temporary occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, forcing Ukraine to break diplomatic relations with Assad’s criminal regime in 2022,” the ministry said.

Ukraine is also set to provide humanitarian assistance to Syria through a special program, with 500 tons of wheat flour to be delivered. In the coming weeks, 33,250 Syrian families (approximately 167,000 people) will receive wheat flour, with each family receiving a 15-kilogram package to feed five people for a month.

Kyiv will launch the Grain from Ukraine initiative to work with the Syrian administration and other partners willing to contribute to humanitarian aid efforts.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 3, Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russia plans to withdraw part of its military equipment from Syria to Africa, specifically Libya.

On Dec. 8, Syrian opposition forces took control of Damascus, overthrowing the Assad regime, which had been in power for nearly 25 years.

The Ukrainian World Congress has also congratulated the Syrian people on their historic victory in overthrowing a brutal dictatorship sustained for almost 25 years by Russian and Iranian support.