Assad says Russian victory in Ukraine serves Syrian and Iranian interests

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has indicated that Russian victory in Ukraine is in the interests of both Syria and Iran. 

His comments came during his reception of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir al-Lihyan in Damascus on Saturday. 

The Syrian president said that Russian dominance in Ukraine “serves the interest of Syria, Iran and all peoples and nations that seek to defend their rights, principles, freedoms and sovereignty.” 

Western losses caused by the war, described by al-Assad in the interview as “the slipping of the mask”, represents a redistribution of global power away from America and the West, he said.

“The steadfast relationship that has strengthened over decades between Syria and Iran has become a coalition committing to overthrowing the hegemony of the west”, continued al-Assad in his speech. 

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky had previously severed diplomatic relations with Syria, after Damascus recognised the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk from Ukraine at the end of June. 

At the time, Zelensky called Syria’s decision a “trivial matter” and said that he preferred to focus on the issues at hand. 

Syria is the second official country to recognise the breakaway republics, with Russia becoming the first UN member to formally acknowledge the separatists regions as "independent" states. 

Moscow recognised the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics located in eastern Ukraine on 21 February this year, three days before it invaded its eastern neighbour.

Since its February invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have killed thousands of civilians, and displaced millions more in what has been described as one of the worst crises in recent European history.

The Syrian regime is a staunch ally of Russia, with Assad backing Moscow’s military aggression of Ukraine, calling it a "correction of history".

Meanwhile, Moscow has kept Assad propped up throughout more than a decade of civil war.

Both regimes have also been accused of committing a staggering number of war crimes against opposition figures; Russian forces have also carried out brutalities against Syrian civilians.