Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha meets with leader of Syrian rebels

The Ukrainian delegation also included the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food and a special representative of the president. No other details are available yet, and Kyiv has not commented on the visit.

A few days ago, Ukraine sent 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria as part of the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program.

The Washington Post also reported, citing sources, that the Syrian rebels of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group were receiving military assistance from the Ukrainian military. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied this.

Meanwhile, Al-Sharaa spoke in an interview with Al Arabia about “strategic interests” with Russia. “We don’t want Russia to exit Syria in a way that undermines its relationship with country,” he said.

What is happening in Syria?

In late November, Syrian rebels launched an offensive against Bashar al-Assad's government forces and the Russian forces that support them, saying they were responding to increased Russian and Syrian air strikes on civilians in the rebel-held city of Idlib.

As part of the offensive, the rebels took control of dozens of settlements, including the city of Aleppo, which had been held by Assad's forces since 2016.

Government forces have called their retreat part of a regrouping before reinforcements arrive and a counteroffensive. Russia has promised to send additional forces to help Syrian government forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush the rebels and regain control of Aleppo.

Later, the rebels took control of the cities of Hama and Damascus, the capital of Syria. Meanwhile, Assad left the country and was granted asylum in the Russian Federation.

Against this backdrop, world leaders welcomed the fall of the Assad regime. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry even expressed its readiness to restore relations with Syria in the future.