EU ministers visit Syria in bid to build ties and cut Putin's influence

The European Union stepped up efforts to build ties with Syria's new leaders and persuade them to reduce Russia's influence over the war-ravaged country, with a visit by the German and French foreign ministers to Damascus.

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Germany's Ms Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot held talks with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Jan 3. They were the highest-ranking Western officials to go to Syria since Mr Sharaa's Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Ms Baerbock said the EU wants to help Syria achieve "an inclusive, peaceful transfer of power" and with reconstruction efforts. She acknowledged it will be "a rocky road".

HTS does not yet control all of Syria and it will probably be years before the country is stable enough to hold elections. Moreover, many Syrians and Western nations remain wary about HTS, which was affiliated with Al-Qaeda until 2016.