Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad, who voiced his support for Russia's military operation in Ukraine to protect the Donbass region.

Moreover, President Assad condemned the destabilizing policy of the US and NATO, "which once led to a serious degradation of the situation in the Middle East," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The two leaders also discussed the Syrian settlement, namely "the promotion of the political process within the framework of the Astana Format to ensure the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria," as well as the promotion of bilateral economic and trade ties.

On Monday, Syria announced its support for Russia's recognition of the sovereignty of the DPR and LPR. The Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad pointed out that "what the West is doing against Russia at present is similar to what it did against Syria during the terrorist war."

Mekdad considered during his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that the campaign of "lies and deception" waged by the West against Russia is the same campaign that was previously launched against Syria.

On Thursday, following "Israel's" official statement of support for Ukraine amid the ongoing crisis, and its condemnation of Russia, Moscow's UN envoy voiced concern over “Israel's” expansion in the occupied Golan, stressing that Russia doesn't recognize “Israel's” sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights that are part of Syria.