Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a 500-ton wheat shipment to Syria on Friday, indicating Ukraine’s desire to engage with Damascus after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the Ukrainian wheat flour is already en route to Syria. The wheat is being delivered in conjunction with the World Food Program (WFP) as part of the Grain from Ukraine initiative. The wheat flour is expected to be distributed to 33,250 families or 167,000 people, via packages in the coming weeks. Each package can feed a family of five for a period of one month, Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy announced the Grain from Ukraine initiative in November of 2022. It is a humanitarian program that aims to deliver Ukrainian grain to countries facing food shortages. The WFP has praised the initiative, calling a February donation of 25,000 tons of wheat to Nigeria a “vital contribution.”

Why it matters: Ukraine and Syria had a negative relationship under former Assad. Ukraine severed diplomatic ties with Syria in 2022 after Damascus recognized the independence the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia invaded these areas during the invasion that year. Russia was a major backer of Assad throughout the Syrian civil war, Assad fled to Moscow after rebel forces seized control of the country earlier this month.