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Kyiv's diplomacy on 30 December 2024: Damascus and Bratislava
Summary
A look back at a day when Ukraine re-established ties with Syria while a dispute with Slovakia over Russian oil transit sharpened.
What did Ukraine's diplomacy look like on 30 December 2024? It pointed in two directions: towards a new opening in Damascus, and towards a worsening quarrel with a neighbour over energy.
A new start with Syria
On 30 December 2024, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha met Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's de-facto leader, in Damascus. The two countries re-established diplomatic relations at the meeting. Syria said afterwards that it hoped to form a "strategic partnership" with Ukraine, and Ukraine vowed to send additional food aid to Syria.
Tension with Slovakia
The other storyline had developed two days earlier. On 28 December 2024, Slovakia threatened reciprocal measures against Ukraine's plans to suspend the transit of Russian oil to Slovakia on 1 January. The measures it mentioned included suspending electricity supplies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by accusing Slovakia of opening a "second energy front" against Kyiv under Moscow's orders.
The dispute was part of a longer-running argument over Lukoil oil flowing through Ukrainian territory. Later accounts of that dispute trace it to 24 June 2024, when Ukraine tightened sanctions on Lukoil, including a ban on its oil supplies and the reassignment of its contractual obligations to supply Hungary and Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline to other companies. Officials in Hungary and Slovakia complained to the European Commission about a possible energy crisis, while the Commission, after examining the situation, saw no reason for concern.
Two tracks
Taken together, the events of 28 and 30 December 2024 showed Kyiv seeking new diplomatic relationships abroad while managing a dispute over energy with a neighbouring state.
