Ukraine to further support Syria with humanitarian aid, says Zelenskyy

Ukraine will assist in stabilising the situation in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that Ukrainian grain will be provided to Syria. 

“We are preparing to restore diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation in international organisations,” Zelenskyy said.

“We will communicate with Europeans and the US to ensure the support is as strong as possible,” he explained in a post on Telegram. “More stability in the Middle East means more peace and trade for all partners.” 

Zelenskyy also said Kyiv plans to double trade with Lebanon this year.

The Ukrainian president said that the aim of the “Grain from Ukraine” programme is to offer support and collaborate with the new HTS-led Syrian government in Damascus. The programme was set up in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.

500 tonnes of wheat flour were already sent to Syria as part of the humanitarian initiative, according to Zelenskyy.  Since the initiative’s launch, Ukraine has delivered over 221,000 tonnes of agricultural products to countries across Africa and Asia.

Last week, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had a chance to contribute to restoring stability in Syria after years of Russian interference. He said this would also bolster Ukraine’s pursuit of peace. 

“It would be the right step to restore our diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with Syria,” he said, “and I really hope that post-al-Assad Syria will respect international law – something al-Assad couldn’t and didn’t want to do.”  

Ukraine is a global producer and exporter of grains and oilseeds and has said it wants to restore relations with Syria after rebels ousted the al-Assad regime.

Kyiv traditionally exported agricultural goods to the Middle East but not to Syria, which imported food from Russia in the al-Assad era. 

Moscow remains a staunch ally of al-Assad, granting him political asylum after he fled Syria in December.