Ukraine is among the first countries in Europe to declare it is working to re-establish diplomatic ties with Damascus and that it will soon recognize post-Assad Syria under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
President Zelensky in last week's comments made no mention that a US-designated terrorist organization which is an offshoot of al-Qaeda is running things in Damascus, as this is apparently but a minor detail to him.
"We are preparing to renew our diplomatic relations with Syria and our cooperation within international organizations. I want to thank our intelligence for the security framework of these contacts," Zelensky said.
The comments followed closely on the heels of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visiting Syria to meet with HTS officials, including the jihadist group's head Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
The Ukrainian government has long acknowledged that it provided drone and intelligence support for months to the originally Idlib-based HTS.
Ukrainian officials had previously openly boasted that they would assist in hitting Russian assets and bases in Syria, in order to bog its forces down there and distract the top Russian command from the Ukrainian front lines.
Small drone warfare has been described by many analysts to have been a key component further demoralizing Syrian Army positions after Assad's military and state institutions had been essentially hollowed out after years of grinding war and crippling Western sanctions.
Ukraine first severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2022. It was triggered by then President Bashar-al Assad recognizing Russian sovereignty over the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics in eastern Ukraine.
"Certainly the Syrian people and the Ukrainian people have the same experience and the same suffering that we endured over 14 years," an HTS representative said during last Monday's visit of the Ukrainian delegation.
1. Wear Zelensky’s outfit
— Afshin Rattansi (@afshinrattansi) December 10, 2024
2. Trim your beard
3. Declare you love diversity after years of persecuting minorities and imposing barbaric extremist rule over the population you ruled over in Syria
4. Show no opposition to Israel
Jolani’s step by step guide to being removed from… pic.twitter.com/2qzNF9lV08
Ukraine last month dispatched 500 tonnes of food aid to Syria, which had long been suffering under US-led sanctions and a war-ravaged economy.
At this point, it's anything but clear whether the US will lift the sanctions, which ultimately harms the whole of the Syrian populace no matter their political affiliation.
