Ukraine and Syria Restore Relations After Years of Diplomatic Freeze

Ukraine and Syria have restored diplomatic relations, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday, Sept. 24.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybyha and Syria’s Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani signed the document in the presence of Zelensky and Syria’s acting president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“Today, Ukraine and Syria signed a joint communiqué on the restoration of diplomatic relations,” Zelensky said. “We are pleased with this important step and are ready to support the Syrian people on the path to stability.”

Ukraine had cut diplomatic ties with Syria in 2022 after Damascus recognized the so-called independence of territories in eastern Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russian forces.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, a close ally of Russia, Sybyha said on Dec. 8, 2024, that Kyiv was ready to restore relations with Syria.

On Dec. 27, the Foreign Ministry reported that Ukraine had established contact with Syria’s new authorities, while on Dec. 29, Syria’s de facto leader said he did not want to harm relations with Russia.

Sybyha visited Damascus in December 2024 and held talks with the country’s new leadership that paved the way for restoring diplomatic ties.