Kyiv, Ukraine—Ukraine on Sunday welcomed the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, saying that authoritarians who rely on Moscow are destined to fall, while noting Kyiv’s support for Syria’s people.
Kyiv, fighting a Russian invasion for almost three years, said it hoped to restore diplomatic relations with Damascus and called for an end to Moscow’s military presence in the country.
“Assad had fallen. This is how it has always been and will always be for dictators who bet on (Russia leader Vladimir) Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him,” foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media, reaffirming Kyiv’s “support for the Syrian people.”
In later comments, the foreign ministry of Ukraine, which overthrew a Moscow-backed regime in a 2014 revolution, said Assad’s fall could mean that the “courageous Syrian people can turn the page on the black history of the Assad clan’s rule.”
It alleged that Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine has forced it to weaken support for Assad and other allies as it is “unable to fight on two fronts” and hoped recent events will lead to an end of Russia’s military presence in Syria.
“We are convinced that the long-term security of Syria depends on the end of the Russian presence in that country,” it said.
Assad was one of the few leaders who recognized Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s four eastern and southern regions in 2022 and Kyiv had responded by breaking off its diplomatic relations with Damascus.
The foreign ministry said it hoped for a restoration of ties in the future.