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Ukraine severs diplomatic ties with Middle East state — Analysis

Kiev is also looking to place a trade embargo upon Syria in protest at its recognition of Donbass republics

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that it’s severing diplomatic ties with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in Donbass.

According to a ministry statement, it was published online “strongly condemns” Syria’s decision, which it considers an “unfriendly act against Ukraine”An “encroachment on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“In response to this unfriendly act, Ukraine declares the severance of diplomatic relations with Syria without the severance of consular relations,”The message continues reading.

Kiev also stated that it plans to place a trade embargo against Syria, and is currently considering “other sanctions on Syrian legal entities and individuals.”

On Wednesday, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a foreign ministry official as saying that the Syrian Arab Republic has decided to recognize the independence and sovereignty of both the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Syria is now the second UN member country to officially recognize independence of two Donbass states, after Russia. Both of the republics decided to break away from Kiev’s control in 2014 after a Western-backed coup ousted the democratically-elected president Viktor Yanukovych. The decision led Kiev to attempt to reclaim these areas using force. This caused an eight-year conflict.

Syria recognizes Donbass Republics – state media

On February 24, Russia began a military attack against Ukraine, following requests from the LPR and DPR. Moscow cited Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. In 2014, the protocols were signed for the first time, through France and Germany. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

In February 2022 the Kremlin acknowledged the Donbass republics to be independent states. They demanded Ukraine declare its neutrality and refuse any Western military alliances. Kiev maintains that Russia’s offensive was not provoked.

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