Zelenskyy's office makes statement on Ukrainian FM visit to Syria
Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (Getty Images)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha's visit to Syria is on the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is also waiting for a report on the visit, according to Dmytro Lytvyn, an advisor to the President of Ukraine.
According to Lytvyn, the main details of Sybiha's visit to Damascus will be provided by the Foreign Ministry. He also noted that the visit is taking place on the President's instructions.
“It is the President's idea to intensify contacts now - we have sent food to Syria, the first batch. There will be more under the Grain from Ukraine program,” Lytvyn said.
Lytvyn noted that during the meeting between Sybiha and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, sensitive political issues were probably discussed.
“Now the President is waiting for a report on this visit and negotiations from Sybiha,” Lytvyn said.
Relations between Syria and Ukraine
Ukraine and Syria established their first diplomatic relations in 1992. However, in 2022, the then-Syrian government recognized the so-called independence of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic which led to the severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine.
This fall saw the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. After that, Ukraine started talking again about the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Syria. In particular, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that Ukraine had established contact with the new Syrian government and was ready to restore diplomatic relations.
Today it became known that the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, arrived in Damascus. There, he held talks with the leadership of the Syrian administration, the country's leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, and others.
Read more about the events in Syria and what to expect in the future in RBC-Ukraine's article.
