Zelenskyy says Ukraine is preparing to resume diplomatic ties with Syria

KYIV (Agencies): Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday his country was preparing to reestablish diplomatic ties with Syria, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Russia, last month.

“We are preparing to resume diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation in international organizations,” Zelenskyy said after receiving a report from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who visited Syria earlier this week.

During his visit on Monday, Sybiha met with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shibani. Al-Shibani expressed hopes for “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine during their meeting in Damascus.

Russia was a staunch ally of al-Assad and has given him political asylum. Moscow has said it is in contact with the new administration in Damascus, including over the fate of Russian military facilities in Syria.

Last month, Zelenskyy announced the dispatch of Ukraine’s first batch of food aid to Syria comprising 500 metric tons of wheat flour as part of Kyiv’s humanitarian “Grain from Ukraine” initiative in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Program.

Ukraine, a global producer and exporter of grain and oilseeds, traditionally exports wheat and corn to countries in the Middle East, but not to Syria, which under al-Assad imported food from Russia.