**Ukraine Seeks to Restore Stability in Syria**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed hope that Ukraine can contribute to restoring stability in Syria after years of Russian interference. This effort will also help bolster Ukraine’s own pursuit of peace.
Zelensky said, “It would be the right step to restore our diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with Syria.” He added that he hopes post-Assad Syria will respect international law, which was not respected by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
**Ukraine Rebuilds Relations with Syria**
Ukraine has quickly rebuilt its relations with Syria following Assad’s overthrow. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Damascus on December 30 and met with Syria’s new leaders. He highlighted Ukraine’s readiness to reestablish diplomatic ties, trade, and educational exchanges with Syria.
Sybiha’s visit marked the first official Ukrainian delegation to Syria in years. The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 2022 after Assad aligned with Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
**Other Developments**
In other news, NATO allies met on December 30 to address the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, following damage to undersea cables connecting Estonia and Finland.
The United States made a $3.4 billion payment in direct budget support to Ukraine, while President Joe Biden announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine worth nearly $2.5 billion.
Ukraine’s largest telecommunications operator, Kyivstar, signed an agreement to access Starlink‘s direct-to-cell service. Ukrainian partisans set fire to two locomotive trains destined for occupied regions of Ukraine.
**Gas Transit Tariffs and Prisoner Exchanges**
Ukraine will quadruple gas transit tariffs for its domestic customers starting January 1, when a deal to transport Russian gas through Ukrainian pipes expires. The Ukrainian National Police named the Russian commander responsible for the murder of Iryna Filkina, the woman who came to symbolize the mass murder of civilians in Bucha.
A prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia was called one of the largest since the start of the full-scale war in 2022 by the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs).