The official insignia of the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
On July 19, Syria, a close ally of Russia, announced it is formally breaking diplomatic ties with Ukraine in response to a similar move by Kiev.
“The Syrian Arab Republic has decided to break diplomatic relations with Ukraine in conformity with the principle of reciprocity,” a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said.
The ministry said that Ukraine had in reality ruptured relations with Syria in 2018, when it refused to revalidate residencies of Syrian diplomatic staff in Kiev, making it impossible for them to carry out their duties. It said that the Syrian embassy at that time suspended its duties “as a result of the hostile attitudes of the Ukrainian government and its complete dependence and blind follow of American and Western policies towards Syria and the world.”
Late last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kiev would cut ties after Syria recognized the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR).
It’s worth noting that Syria was among the very first countries to voice its support for the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
Moscow and Damascus grew closer after the beginning of Russian counter-terrorism operations in Syria in 2015. Damascus relations with Kiev began to deteriorate exactly a year later when it decided to recognized the Crimean Peninsula as a part of Russia.
Syria is currently looking to develop economic cooperation with both the DPR and the LPR, who are also under strict sanctions by the US and the European Union.
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