Putin’s Message to Syria’s Al-Sharaa: A Step Toward Restoring Ties?

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)
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Putin’s Message to Syria’s Al-Sharaa: A Step Toward Restoring Ties?

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Damascus at the end of January (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, the Kremlin announced on Thursday, underscoring its significance in both timing and content against the backdrop of recent developments in Syria’s coastal regions and mounting challenges to the country's leadership.

The message comes as Damascus navigates efforts to bolster internal stability and expand engagement with regional and international players.

According to the Kremlin, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with Syrian authorities across all sectors.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the message expressed support for the Syrian leadership’s efforts to “swiftly stabilize the situation in the country while ensuring its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.”

Peskov did not specify when Putin sent the message to al-Sharaa or whether it was delivered through an envoy. However, his remarks during a daily briefing suggested Putin had sent it on Wednesday.

The letter carried a notable phrasing, reaffirming Moscow’s commitment to “developing practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership across the full spectrum of bilateral issues to further strengthen the traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations.”

While the message underscored Putin’s intent to recalibrate ties and establish serious, “practical” cooperation with Damascus, its timing was equally significant.

It followed Syria’s success in containing the fallout from recent unrest in coastal regions—an event that had sparked allegations, albeit indirect, that Moscow had either supported or turned a blind eye to a military move by remnants of the ousted regime.

These claims were fueled by reports that dozens of former Syrian officers had sought refuge in Russia after Bashar al-Assad’s government was toppled.

Russia has not officially responded to allegations that it played a role in recent unrest in Syria’s coastal region.

The Kremlin and the Foreign Ministry have limited their statements to expressing “serious concern” over the turmoil, which later led to arrests and targeted killings of civilians.

A Russian diplomatic source previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow had no involvement in the events and stressed that Russian authorities do not support any actions that could undermine stability in Syria.

Against this backdrop, Putin’s message appears “deliberate in both tone and timing,” signaling Moscow’s intent to reset ties and usher in a new phase of cooperation aligned with the interests of both sides.



UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.