Syria to be first to recognize Donetsk, Luhansk ‘republics’ in Ukraine in support of Russia’s war

Assad backed Putin’s invasion as a “correction of history” after the collapse of the Soviet Union

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday reportedly called for formal recognition of the Russian-backed separatist “republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent from Kyiv.

According to the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Telegram channel, Assad met with DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova and expressed support for Russia’s fight against the United States and its NATO allies.

“The president of the Syrian Arab Republic noted the state’s readiness to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics,” the DPR ministry said.

The group said Assad announced “the official start of the recognition procedure and noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [of the Syrian Arab Republic] would immediately receive relevant instructions from him.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine in February, just three days after recognizing the “independence” of the separatist regions.

Although Assad endorsed Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as a “correction of history” and a “rebalancing of the world” following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Newsallbd was unable to independently verify the PRA’s claims on Thursday.

Assad has echoed Putin’s claims that NATO poses a threat to Moscow and reportedly claimed Thursday that the war in Ukraine was a fight against the alliance.

“Mr. Assad greeted the delegates and pointed to the common path of the peoples of Donbas and Syria in a struggle against [the] hostile U.S. and other Western countries,” the PRA ministry said.

The separatist group said Assad “expressed confidence in the speedy and successful completion of the operation to liberate the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics from the Kiyv regime.”

Syria was one of five countries, including Russia, that opposed a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow’s illegal invasion.

The Assad regime also voted against suspending Russia’s membership in the UN Human Rights Council a month later in April.