Ukraine FM calls for Russian expulsion from Syria

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga urged new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday to expel Russia from the country during an unannounced visit to Damascus.

Moscow was one of former president Bashar al-Assad's key backers, intervening to help to turn the tide of Syria's civil war in his favor in 2015.

The ex-president's toppling was seen as a major setback for Russia, which has been waging a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022.

Russia is now seeking to secure the fate of its naval base in Tartus and its air base at Hmeimim -- both on Syria's Mediterranean coast and Moscow's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union -- with the new Syrian authorities.

"The Russian and Assad regimes supported each other because they were based on violence and torture," Sybiga said, according to a statement.

"We believe that from a strategic point of view, the removal of Russia's presence in Syria will contribute to the stability of not only the Syrian state but the entire Middle East and Africa."

Sybiga said Kyiv was ready to repair ties with Syria that were ruptured when Assad recognized the Kremlin's annexation of Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement separately that his country had sent its first shipment of food aid, 500 tonnes of wheat flour, to Syria, and that it would arrive on Tuesday.

"We support the Syrian people in overcoming decades of dictatorial rule and restoring stability, security, and normal life in Syria," he said in the post on social media.

Despite the war, Ukraine is one of the world's top wheat producers.

Rebels led by Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive on November 27 that saw them take several key cities in quick succession before seizing the capital Damascus 11 days later, sending Assad fleeing to Russia.

But despite Moscow's backing for Assad, Sharaa on Sunday noted the "deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria" in an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV channel.

"All Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish," Sharaa added.