Vidostream | News, sport and opinion from the Vidostream's US edition

https://vidostream.com

Syria's de facto leader Sharaa meets Ukrainian foreign minister in Damascus

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new leader and head of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, hosted a Ukrainian delegation led by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday. The meeting is an effort to rebuild relations between the two countries after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad, who was a close ally of Russia. 

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Damascus on December 30, 2024. © Bakr Alkasem, AFP

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomes Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Damascus on December 30, 2024. © Bakr Alkasem, AFP

Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa held talks on Monday with a senior Ukrainian delegation led by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported, as Kyiv moves to build ties with the new leadership in Damascus.

SANA provided no immediate details about their talks, held in Damascus, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last Friday his country had sent its first batch of food aid to Syria, which is traditionally a close ally of Russia.

Zelensky said that 500 metric tonnes of wheat flour were already on their way to Syria as part of Kyiv’s humanitarian “Grain from Ukraine” initiative in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Programme.

Ukraine, a global producer and exporter of grain and oilseeds, has said it wants to restore relations with Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad and his flight into exile in Russia.Ukraine, which has been battling invading Russian forces for nearly three years, traditionally exports wheat and corn to countries in the Middle East, but not to Syria, which in the Assad era imported food from Russia.

Russian wheat supplies to Syria have been suspended because of uncertainty about the new government in Damascus and payment delays, Russian and Syrian sources told Reuters in early December. Russia had supplied wheat to Syria using complex financial and logistical arrangements to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on both Moscow and Damascus.

The ousting of Assad by al-Sharaa’s Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has thrown the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartous naval facility – into question.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the status of Russia’s military bases would be the subject of negotiations with the new leadership in Damascus.

Al-Sharaa said this month that Syria’s relations with Russia should serve common interests.

(Reuters) 

Author: Editors Desk

Source: France 24

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.
You did not use the site, Click here to remain logged. Timeout: 60 second