Syria, Ukraine restore diplomatic ties as both leaders meet on UNGA sidelines

Syria and Ukraine have restored diplomatic relations, as Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session in New York.

The meeting was attended by Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani along with an accompanying delegation, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Syria signed a communique on the restoration of diplomatic relations.

"We welcome this important step and are ready to support the Syrian people on their path to stability," he wrote on X.

"During our negotiations with President of Syria Ahmed Al Sharaa, we also discussed in detail promising sectors for developing cooperation, security threats faced by both countries, and the importance of countering them."

Both agreed to build relations on the basis of mutual respect and trust, he added.

Ukraine severed relations with Syria after the latter recognised the Russian breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine in 2022.

The Syrian president arrived in New York on Sunday with several ministers to take part in the annual UN meetings, ending nearly six decades of Syrian absence from the world body's top forum.

In his first speech at the General Assembly on Wednesday, Al Sharaa called for the lifting of international sanctions.

Al Sharaa, Trump meeting

Al Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Syrian state news agency SANA said.

SANA released a photograph showing Al Sharaa shaking hands with Trump, with First Lady Melania Trump also present.

The agency provided no further details.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders, following their meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in May.