On Friday, Syria’s central bank announced that a shipment of local currency had arrived from Russia, where the Syrian lira has been printed for years.

The move follows a phone call between Syria’s de facto president Ahmad al-Sharaa and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and may provide a clue about the future relations between the countries.

While the fall of Assad was welcomed and even celebrated by many western states, they remain largely hesitant when it comes to lifting sanctions that were meant to weaken the ousted president’s grip on power.

Syria’s economy, battered by years of war, was further weakened by these sanctions, which make it nearly impossible for investment and serious reconstruction efforts.