Syrian authorities requested Russia to extradite ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, but were turned down, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview with the New York Times published on April 23.
While officials did not disclose the wheat's origin, a source confirmed to Reuters that the cargo came from Russia.
The closures include Mission Support Site Green Village, MSS Euphrates, and a smaller unnamed facility. U.S. commanders will reportedly decide within 60 days whether to further reduce the troop presence.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 14 civilians and injured at least 33 over the past day, regional authorities reported on March 12. The casualties included children and Syrian crew members of a merchant vessel in Odesa.
Israeli officials have told Washington that Syria's new Islamist rulers, who ousted pro-Russian Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, will pose a threat to Israel's borders if backed by Turkey, Reuters wrote, citing four sources familiar with the communications.
The Kremlin is seeking continued access to the naval base in Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase, which have served as key military footholds in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held his first official phone conversation on Feb. 12 with Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has dealt a significant blow to Russia’s ambitions in the Middle East. Yet Russia still retains influence across the region through trade, diplomacy, and military ties. Even now, Moscow maintains a presence in Syria, making it imperative for the West to capitalize
Russia's ability to retain its naval base in Tartus and airbase in Khmeimim will depend on what Moscow offers in return, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the main rebel group who led the overthrow of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has been named Syria's transitional president, the country's military command announced on Jan. 29.
The demand was allegedly raised during the first negotiations between Syrian officials and a Kremlin delegation following Assad's ouster in December. After his overthrow by rebels, Assad fled to Moscow, where he now resides.
Russia deployed troops to Syria in 2015 to support Assad regime's brutal crackdown against anti-government forces.
The delegation includes Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and the Russian president’s special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev.
A "large amount" of Russian military equipment vanished from the Syrian port of Tartus with the departure of the Russian cargo ship Sparta II, an investigative journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Mark Krutov, said on Jan. 27, citing satellite images.
"While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas posted on X, adding that the EU plans to scale up humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts in Syria.
The Sparta II, a Russian cargo ship under U.S. sanctions, had been drifting near Tartus since Jan. 5 after leaving Baltiysk in Kaliningrad Oblast on Dec. 11.
The contract, signed in 2019, had committed Moscow to invest at least $500 million in modernizing the port. With the agreement now void, all revenues from the port's operations will go directly to the Syrian state, and its management will revert to local authorities.
Syria's new administration has banned all Russian, Iranian, and Israeli goods from entering the country in a new decree issued by the country's Minister of Finance on Jan. 17.
The Sparta II, a Russian cargo ship under U.S. sanctions, has been drifting near Tartus since Jan. 5 after leaving Baltiysk in Kaliningrad Oblast on Dec. 11, according to the Moscow Times.
According to the agency, Russian large landing ships Ivan Gren and Aleksandr Otrakovsky, as well as the dry cargo ship Sparta, are scheduled to arrive in the Syrian port on Jan. 5. Two more Russian vessels — the universal cargo vessel Sparta II and the tanker Ivan Skoblev — are expected to arrive on Jan. 8.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has a chance to contribute to restoring stability in Syria following years of Russian interference, emphasizing that this effort will also bolster Ukraine’s own pursuit of peace.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed Kyiv's position on Russia's military presence in Syria to leaders of the new Syrian administration during a diplomatic visit to Damascus on Dec. 30, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said at an online meeting attended by the Kyiv Independent.
Editor's Note: Stanislav Aseyev is a Ukrainian writer, journalist, veteran, and a survivor of the Izolyatsia prison in Russia-occupied Donetsk, infamous for its torture of prisoners. He was the first Ukrainian journalist to see to the Sednaya prison and death camp in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Damascus on Dec. 30, marking the first official Ukrainian delegation to Syria in years. During the trip, he held talks with Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
The collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria following a lightning rebel offensive in November has shaken Assad-ally Russia’s near-decade of influence in the country. It has also had one other lesser-known consequence: disrupting Moscow’s ability to recruit Syrian fighters for its war in Ukraine. The Kyiv
The aid aims to help alleviate a looming food crisis following the collapse of the Russia-backed regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 amid a large-scale rebel offensive.
Concurrently, marine traffic monitors show a Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III and visually matching the picture published by HUR, moving at a very low speed of little over 1 knot in the open sea between Spain and Algeria.
"Everything what is happening in Syria is not a defeat for Russia," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
In a post on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency, Assad said he was releasing the statement to address "misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth" in the wake of his overthrow.
The FT said Syria's central bank flew nearly two tonnes of $100 bills and €500 notes into the country, which were then deposited in sanctioned Russian banks.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, host Anna Belokur dives into Russia’s withdrawal from Syria after the dictator Bashar al-Assad’s downfall, as well as a front line update from Ukraine and the controversy surrounding mobilizing younger men.
"We are ready to help Syria prevent a food crisis ... I have instructed the government to organize food deliveries in cooperation with international organizations and partners willing to help."
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