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A state comes out openly in support of Russia

A state comes out openly in support of Russia

Ukraine has severed diplomatic ties with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the decision in a Telegram post.

"There will be no more relations between Ukraine and Syria," Zelensky said, adding that the pressure on sanctions against Syria "will be even greater."

Parts of Luhansk and Donetsk have been under the control of Moscow-backed separatists since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014.

Syria, a close ally of Russia, has benefited from Russian military assistance in its civil war, being the first country, after Russia, to recognize the independence of these two separatist regions.