Volodymyr Zelensky met with his Syrian counterpart Ahmad Al-Charaa in Damascus, amid heightened regional tensions fueled by the war in Ukraine and recent clashes in the Middle East.
“We discussed the situation in the region and prospects for improving it, as well as the circumstances of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president stated on social media. He emphasized a “strong interest in exchanging military experience,” also mentioning food security and Ukraine’s potential role as a supplier of essential goods.
This visit to Damascus comes the day after a meeting in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which focused on energy and maritime security, as well as initiatives to end the conflict that has lasted for more than four years.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Kyiv has been striving to showcase its expertise in air defense, particularly against the Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Moscow and closely monitored by the Gulf monarchies. The war in the Middle East, triggered by Israeli-American strikes in late February, temporarily suspended US-mediated negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.
While the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has weakened Russia's influence in the region, Damascus and Moscow maintain close ties. The Syrian president has twice visited Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, while the ousted Assad currently resides in Russia, his extradition still demanded by Damascus.
