Zelensky urged the Swiss president to join Ukraine in providing humanitarian aid to Syria.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a phone call with the new President of Switzerland Karin Keller-Sutter, discussed several topics. During the conversation, he specifically proposed joining Ukraine's food aid program for Syria.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the official online representation of the President of Ukraine.

The initiative, called Food from Ukraine, aims "to support the Syrian people and prevent a food crisis in Syria," as explained by the Office of the President.

"This program will involve our country supplying agricultural products to Syria," representatives of Zelensky stated.

It was noted that the first 500 tons of Ukrainian wheat flour have already been sent to Syria.

"Ukraine calls on partners to join this initiative and help restore stability in Syria, which is also a collective contribution to the protection of lives globally," the Office of the President reported.

Other topics discussed by Zelensky with his Swiss counterpart

During the phone call on January 7, Zelensky congratulated Karin Keller-Sutter on her inauguration as President of Switzerland.

The Office of the President mentioned that he also expressed gratitude to the Swiss side for the political and humanitarian support provided to Ukraine, particularly "for the successful organization of the first World Summit and participation in thematic conferences following its outcomes, as well as for the willingness to work together in search of ways to achieve a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine and all of Europe."

Zelensky also highlighted Switzerland's annual contributions to the humanitarian program Grain from Ukraine.

Furthermore, the Office of the President added that the leaders of both countries agreed to "continue the dialogue during a personal meeting scheduled for the near future."

Ukrainian food aid for Syria

Recall that in mid-December 2024, President Zelensky stated that Ukraine had agreed to work on assisting Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in that country due to the successful advance of rebel forces. Primarily, Kyiv will organize humanitarian efforts and security work.

On December 23, Zelensky discussed cooperation between Ukraine and Syria during a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.

It was also reported that earlier, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Georgiy Tikhiy, mentioned that Ukraine had established contact with the new Syrian authorities and was ready to restore diplomatic relations.

At the end of December, it became known that Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha arrived in Damascus, where he held talks with the leadership of the Syrian administration, including the country's leader Ahmad al-Sharaa and others.

In early January, Zelensky stated that Ukraine would assist in stabilizing the situation in Syria following the fall of Assad's regime. He mentioned that Ukrainian grain would be supplied to the citizens of Syria.