Ukraine broke diplomatic relations with Damascus in June after the Syrian government recognized the independence of the pro-Russian republics.

The Syrian government also announced that as of today, 20 July, they have cut off relations with Ukraine.

“The Syrian Arab Republic has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine in response to the decision by the Ukrainian government and in accordance with the principle of reciprocity,” a source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to the official news agency Sana.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on 29 June that they had ended their diplomatic relations with Damascus.

The Damascus government had recognized the independence of the Moscow-backed Donetsk and Lugansk republics, which had declared themselves as unilateral republics since 2014.

The Syrian government previously recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2018.

The Syrian announcement coincided with the Syria summit held in Tehran on 19 July between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ibrahim Reisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.