Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga called for the elimination of the Russian presence in Syria during his surprise meeting with de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa today, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
The rebels led by al-Sharaa's group overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was also an ally of Moscow. Assad's fall from power on December 8 was a serious blow to Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since 2022 and maintains strategic military bases in Syria.
"We are convinced that from a strategic point of view, the elimination of the Russian presence in Syria will contribute to the stability not only of the Syrian state, but also of the entire Middle East and Africa", said Sibiga after a meeting in Damascus with Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Damascus in 2022 after Syria recognized the annexation of Crimea.
"In recent years, our two peoples have suffered greatly from the criminal Russian and Iranian regimes," Sibiga said at a press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Assad Hassan al-Shibani. He expressed hope that the new Syria would be a state that respects international law, including the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
"This will pave the way for the resumption of diplomatic relations, political dialogue and the work of diplomatic missions," said Sibiga.
The Syrian foreign minister said that there would be strategic partnerships between the two countries at the political, economic and social levels, in addition to the scientific partnerships that Damascus hopes to resume with Ukraine.
Yesterday, however, the new de facto Syrian leader welcomed the deep strategic relations between Syria and Russia in an interview with the "Al Arabiya" television channel, in which he stressed his desire to maintain these relations.
"Russia is an important country," said Ahmed al-Sharaa, explaining that all Syrian weapons are of Russian origin and many power plants are run by Russian experts.
"We do not want Russia to leave Syria the way some people would like," he added.
For his part, Andriy Sibiga announced that Ukraine had sent Syria a free delivery of 500 tons of Ukrainian flour, which will arrive on Syrian territory tomorrow and will help feed over 33,000 families.