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Ukraine reacts to the fall of Assad's regime

Ukraine reacts to the fall of Assad's regime Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

Ukraine is ready to work on restoring relations with Syria in the future. For now, efforts must focus on stabilizing the region, states Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.

“Assad has fallen. This has always been the fate of all dictators who rely on Putin. He always betrays those who trust him. Now, the main goal is to restore security in Syria and effectively protect people from violence,” said Andrii Sybiha.

The Foreign Minister stressed the importance of efforts to stabilize the region and ensure political dialogue in Syria to support the functioning of state institutions.

“We express our readiness to pave the way for restoring relations in the future and reaffirm our support for the Syrian people,” the minister declared.

Notably, Andrii Sybiha’s comments were Ukraine’s first official response to the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.

Fall of Assad’s regime in Syria

On Sunday, December 8, Syrian rebels entered Damascus, marking the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime. Government forces reportedly did not put up much resistance against the opposition.

Media outlets report that Assad himself fled Damascus on a Russian plane. His current whereabouts remain unknown. Reuters suggests that Assad may have died in a plane crash.

Amid these events, Russia is withdrawing its ships from naval bases and relocating remaining weapons.

Read more about what is happening in Syria and where Assad might currently be in the RBC-Ukraine report.