Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukraine, a major global producer and exporter of grain and oilseeds, has dispatched its inaugural batch of food aid to Syria, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday.

Zelensky stated that 500 metric tons of wheat flour were already en route to Syria as part of Ukraine's humanitarian "Grain from Ukraine" initiative, undertaken in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme.

"The wheat flour is slated for distribution to 33,250 families, or 167,000 individuals, in the coming weeks," Zelensky stated on X, adding, "Each package weighs 15 kilograms and can sustain a family of five for a month."

Following the ousting of Bashar Assad, a close ally of Russia, Ukraine has expressed its desire to re-establish relations with Syria.

Traditionally, Kyiv exports wheat and corn to Middle Eastern nations, albeit not to Syria. During Assad's regime, Syria primarily imported food from Russia. However, Russian wheat supplies to Syria have been temporarily halted due to prevailing uncertainty, according to sources from both Russia and Syria earlier this month.

Ukraine's exports were significantly disrupted by Russia's invasion in February 2022, which severely curtailed shipments via the Black Sea. Since then, Ukraine has successfully broken a de facto sea blockade and resumed exports from its southern port of Odesa.