Syria–Ukraine relations

Relations betweenSyriaandUkrainehave existed since 1992, except for a two-year period from 2022 to 2024 when they were severed followingBa'athist Syria's recognition of the Russian-occupiedDonetskandLuhanskregions. Relations were reestablished after the collapse of the Assad regime. The Ukrainian embassy inLebanoncurrently protects Ukrainian interests in Syria.
Syria recognized theindependenceof Ukraine on 28 December 1991. The countries established diplomatic relations on 31 March 1992.
With the start of theSyrian civil warin 2011,Ba'athist Syriabecame even closer politically to theRussian Federation. Due to Ba'athist Syria's recognition of theRussian occupation of Crimeain 2014, bilateral relations were frozen.Citing human rights violations by the government ofBashar al-Assadagainst Syrian civilians, Ukraine closed its embassy inDamascusin 2016, and in 2018, ordered the closure of the Syrian embassy inKyiv.
On 29 June 2022, Ba'athist Syria recognized the independence of theDonetskandLuhansk People's Republicsfrom Ukraine,after which on 30 June 2022, Ukraine severed relations with Syria.Ba'athist Syria formally broke its diplomatic ties to Ukraine on 20 July 2022, citing theprinciple of reciprocity.
After thefall of the al-Assad regimein December 2024, Ukraine urged the international community to work together to support lasting peace in Syria and offered humanitarian aid through theGrain From Ukraine program.PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyystated he was ready to support theSyrian transitional government.Later that month, Zelenskyy confirmed that 500 metric tons of wheat flour had been sent to Syria as part of his country's humanitarian Grain From Ukraine program.
On 30 December 2024, Ukraine's top diplomat met with Syria's de facto leader,Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus.The high-level Ukrainian delegation included Ukraine'sMinister of Foreign Affairs,Andrii Sybiha, theMinister of Agrarian Policy and Food,Vitaliy Koval, and the Special Representative of the President of Ukraine.Later that day, Ukraine opened an honorary consulate in Damascus.Sybiha led the flag-raising ceremony alongside Honorary Consul General Tamer Al-Tounsi, a Ukrainian-Syrian entrepreneur, and members of the Ukrainian community, whom he thanked for preserving the Ukrainian language and culture.
During the meeting,Syria's newly appointed Foreign MinisterAsaad Hassan al-Shaybaniexpressed interest in building "strategic partnerships"with Ukraine, emphasizing mutual sovereignty and diplomatic representation. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha discussed the potential for strengthening Ukrainian-Syrian relations and Ukraine’s role in Syria’s food security despite the ongoing conflict with Russia.Sybiha also criticized the Russian and Assad regimes, stating that the removal of Russian forces from Syria would contribute to stability in the Middle East and Africa.In a related statement, Syria's al-Sharaa acknowledged the country's strategic ties with Russia, citing Russian-supplied arms and expertise in infrastructure, and opposed any calls for a complete Russian withdrawal.
On 2 January 2025, Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyyannounced plans to re-establish diplomatic relations with Syria.