Overview

• Zelensky and President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a joint communique in New York to re-establish state-to-state ties after talks on cooperation and shared security threats.
• Ukraine had cut relations in 2022 after the Assad government recognized the Russian-backed entities in Donetsk and Luhansk.
• Kyiv has engaged the new Syrian leadership since December 2024, urging limits on Russia’s presence in Syria and offering food aid shipments.
• Damascus is pressing for relief from remaining sanctions, and Zelensky told the UN that Syria deserves stronger international support.
• Russia has hosted Assad in exile and recently sent a high-level delegation to cultivate ties with the al-Sharaa government.