Syria supports Russia's recognition of eastern Ukraine breakaway regions
February 22, 2022, 4:47 pm

Syria supports Russia's recognition of eastern Ukraine breakaway regions

Syrian foreign minister Faisal Mekdad (File photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates official Facebook page)

The Alarabiya English reported, citing Reuters, Syrian state TV quoted foreign minister as saying on Tuesday, Syria supports the decision of its ally Russia to recognize two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

The state TV quoted Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad as saying during an event in Moscow: “Syria supports President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the republics of Luhansk and Donetsk and will cooperate with them."

Syria has been a staunch ally of Moscow since Russia launched an air strike campaign in Syria in 2015 and helped turn the tide in a civil war in favor of President Bashar al-Assad.

Mekdad said: “What the West is doing against Russia is similar to what it did against Syria during the terrorist war.”

An agreement gives Russia the right to build military bases in eastern Ukraine

The report noted that the United States and its European allies are set to announce fresh sanctions against Russia on Tuesday after Putin recognized the two breakaway regions, deepening Western fears of a new war in Europe.

Source: alarabiya

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.