Ukraine’s FM urges Syria’s interim government to expel Russia

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha promised support to Syria during a visit to Damascus on Monday, signaling Ukraine's interest in strengthening ties with the new Syrian administration as Russia's influence in the country remains uncertain, News.az reports citing foreign media.

Sybiha met with the de-facto leader of Syria’s transitional administration Ahmed al-Sharaa. In a post on X, Sybiha said Ukraine is ready to help support stability and food security in Syria.

Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that Sybiha also met interim Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani also met interim intelligence head Anas Khattab.

Shibani said in a post on X on Monday that Syria would have “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine in the political, economic and social realms.

"We also have scientific partnerships with Ukraine that we will start again," he added.

Why it matters: Ukraine and Syria are seeking closer cooperation following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Assad was close to Russia throughout his 24 years in power. In 2015, Russia intervened militarily on Assad's behalf in the civil war, providing air and ground support against rebel forces, including HTS, helping Assad's forces recapture most of the country by the time of the rebel offensive began in late November. Assad was supportive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Kiev severed diplomatic diplomatic ties with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of the pro-Russian breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk that year.

Death tolls for the Syrian civil war vary, with some estimates being above 500,000.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a 500-ton wheat flour shipment is en-route to Syria. Ukraine is one of the largest wheat producers in the world and exports to a variety of countries in the Middle East and North Africa, but not Syria. Most of Ukraine's $3.89 million in exports to Syria in 2022 consisted of seed oils, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Syria is facing rampant food insecurity. Around 12.9 million people out of a population of roughly 23 million are food insecure throughout Syria, according to the World Food Program.

Know more: The fall of Assad was a strategic loss for Russia. Syria has provided Russia with a foothold in the Mediterranean for decades. The intervention kept Syria in the Russian sphere of influence, away from the West and Turkey, and protected Moscow's energy interests in the country.

The future of Russia's military presence in Syria under the new HTS-led administration is unclear. Russia has an airbase in Hmeimim as well as a naval facility in Tartous. The Kremlin postponed a decision on the future of its military bases in Syria until March, Anton Mardasov reported for Al-Monitor earlier this month.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya on Sunday, Sharaa, who led HTS during the war, signaled openness to maintaining relations with Russia. He said the two countries share “deep strategic interests,” adding “we do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish.”

Sybiha said in a statement on Monday that "the removal of Russia's presence in Syria will contribute to the stability of not only the Syrian state, but the entire Middle East and Africa."

News.Az