By- Divyanshi Sinha
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his first official trip to Syria, landing in Damascus amid swirling rumors of a US-brokered "grand bargain" linking post-Assad reconstruction to Black Sea security and Hormuz aid. Syrian state media SANA aired footage of Zelenskyy meeting interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (ex-HTS leader), discussing drone tech sharing and a potential Kyiv-Damascus axis against Russia-Iran ties.
This follows Syria's March ouster of Assad, with Zelenskyy offering tactical know-how from Ukraine's war—grain corridors, mine-clearing—as Damascus eyes $500B rebuild funded by Gulf states wary of Tehran. Talks reportedly cover Syria joining anti-Russia sanctions and hosting Ukrainian trainers, shocking Moscow which cut aid post-Assad.
Geopolitics ripple: Israel greenlights it for curbing Hezbollah arms; Turkey eyes border calm; EU ponders lifting Syria sanctions. Critics slam it as Zelenskyy's "desperate pivot" amid stalled US aid.
