During his tour of the Middle East earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelensky visited Syria, a country that was until recently a close ally of Russia. The Ukrainian President’s visit to the Syrian capital Damascus and his talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Shara mark the resumption and strengthening of Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts in the region.
“We agreed to work together to provide our societies with greater security and opportunities for development,” Zelensky said in a statement. “We discussed the situation in the region and the prospects for improving it. We also discussed the circumstances of Russia’s war against Ukraine – I am grateful for the support. There is deep interest in the exchange of military and security experience.”
Zelensky also reported that they had discussed Ukraine’s role as a food supplier and strengthening food security across the region.
“We clearly understand the energy and infrastructure challenges that Syria currently faces,” he said.
Restoration of diplomatic relations between Syria and Ukraine
“For decades, Syria was a strongly pro-Russian country, with a propaganda campaign and a Moscow-centric worldview among the elite and the general population. And now [there is] “Such a geopolitical break,” Serhiy Danilov of the Kiev-based Association of Middle East Studies (AMES) told DW.
The Ukrainian and Syrian presidents met for the first time at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025, when their respective foreign ministers signed a declaration on the resumption of diplomatic relations between Syria and Ukraine. These were separated in June 2022 when the previous Syrian regime of Bashar Assad recognized the sovereignty and independence of the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine following the establishment of a so-called “people’s republic” by pro-Russian separatists.
During Zelensky’s visit to Syria, it was also agreed to open diplomatic missions in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and Damascus in the near future.
Dmytro Levs, head of the Ukrainian Meridian Social Research Center, told DW that Zelensky’s visit to Syria is a sign of the extent to which Russia’s ambitions have collapsed. He said that for a long time the Middle Eastern state was considered an unshakable bastion of Russian influence, but now the situation has completely changed.
“Ukraine has entered a geopolitical zone with totalitarian influence that Russia has always considered its own. This is clearly a blow to the Kremlin,” Levs told DW.
Ukraine tells Middle East to stop buying grain stolen from Russia
For Danilov, food security could serve as the basis for a new beginning in Syrian-Ukrainian relations. He reported, “Under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, Syria consumed Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia from the occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhia and Crimea. This way the Russians legalized the grain.”
He said the situation is now changing and Ukraine has demanded that Middle East countries stop buying stolen food so that it can supply them legally. Egypt has already agreed and Syria is the next step, he said.
He pointed out that food is not only a commercial instrument, but also a political instrument: “Food markets are part of government lobbying. There are examples of such lobbying in favor of Ukrainian interests at the state level.”
Danilov speculated that Ukrainian food supplies could help allay fears of the outbreak of another “Arab Spring”, as rising food prices were one of the factors that led to mass protests and uprisings throughout the Middle East in 2011.
“In Syria, Jordan and especially Egypt, inflation and rising fuel prices are currently driving up the cost of living,” he said, adding that poorer Arab states in particular were “very concerned about social stability” and were determined to avoid social unrest.
Ukrainian military technology to support Syria
Mykhailo Honchar of the Strategy XXI Center for Global Studies told DW that military technology is also an important area of cooperation between Ukraine and Syria. He said Ukraine had gained some unique combat experience and made a number of technological advances since 2022, including long-range drones and interceptor drones, which Syria was also interested in.
“However, this is a sensitive issue for Israel, as it is generally very distrustful of the current Syrian government,” Honchar said, adding that this was no reason for Ukraine not to sell them to Syria. “We must work in our national interest and look forward to further cooperation.”
Other experts pointed out that Ukraine could also help repair and maintain Soviet-era military equipment that Syria still possesses.
In addition to providing assistance with regard to food security and military equipment, he said Ukraine could help Syria deal with humanitarian devastation and rebuild its energy infrastructure, as it had extensive experience in both areas.
“For Ukraine, if one looks further at the Syrian market there are many potential areas of cooperation – not today but in the medium term,” Danilov said.
This article was originally published in Ukrainian.