DAMASCUS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Damascus alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, with a senior official saying the former was scheduled to meet with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

 

The visit follows Zelensky's trip to Turkey on Saturday and a Gulf tour last week against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, where he sought to clinch security deals and exchange Ukrainian drone expertise for air defence missiles.

 

Zelensky announced in a Facebook post that he had arrived in the Syrian capital, saying "important meetings lie ahead".

 

"Every nation and every region deserves a peaceful life," he added.

 

The senior official with knowledge of the visit said "cooperation between countries" and the "security situation in the region" were on the agenda.

 

Syria's official news agency SANA published pictures of Foreign Minister AsaadAl Shaibani welcoming Zelensky and Fidan on the tarmac in the Damascus airport.

 

Russia was a key ally of Al Sharaa's predecessor Bashar Al Assad, now exiled in Moscow, during Syria's 14-year civil war, supporting him with airstrikes.

 

But the new Syrian leader, who once commanded rebels against Assad, has appeared to maintain balanced relations with Moscow.

 

In January, he met President Vladimir Putin and so far has not asked Russia to withdraw from its military bases on Syrian soil.