Relationship dossier
Syria
Ukraine
Relationship assessment
After a 2022 diplomatic rupture, Ukraine and Syria restored relations under Syria’s new authorities in December 2024.
Syria toward Ukraine
+5Bashar al-Assad’s government recognized the Russian-backed separatist entities in eastern Ukraine in 2022, prompting Ukraine to sever diplomatic relations. Syria’s new authorities restored diplomatic relations with Ukraine in December 2024, opening a path to renewed engagement.
Ukraine toward Syria
+10Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2022 after the Assad government recognized the Russian-backed separatist entities in eastern Ukraine. Following the change of government in Syria, Ukraine restored diplomatic relations in December 2024 and offered food assistance.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship has been shaped by the 2022 rupture over Syria’s recognition of Russian-backed separatist entities in Ukraine and the restoration of diplomatic relations after Syria’s change of government in 2024. The new engagement marks a clear shift, but its breadth and durability remain uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Syria’s recognition of the Russian-backed separatist entities in eastern Ukraine led Ukraine to sever diplomatic relations with Syria in 2022. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, Ukraine and Syria’s new authorities announced the restoration of diplomatic relations in December 2024, alongside renewed engagement and Ukrainian offers of food assistance. The relationship has thus shifted from a serious rupture toward cautious cooperation, while its scope and durability remain unclear.
Areas of tension
- Syria’s 2022 recognition of the Russian-backed separatist entities in eastern Ukraine and Ukraine’s resulting severance of diplomatic relations.
Key developments
Syria recognized the Russian-backed separatist entities in eastern Ukraine; Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Syria in response.
Ukraine and Syria’s new authorities announced the restoration of diplomatic relations.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of cooperation between Ukraine and Syria’s new authorities remain unclear.
- The extent to which Syria’s new authorities will address the former government’s recognition of separatist entities in eastern Ukraine is uncertain.