In a recent development following Iran’s condemnation of Ukraine for launching a drone attack on one of its ships, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha made a significant move by contacting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Tuesday (July 28th). Sybiha warned Iran against escalating the situation and urged them to cease all support for Russia.
“I stress the importance of exercising restraint in any escalation of actions and to stop providing any support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Sybiha wrote on X platform regarding his conversation with Araqchi. He emphasized that the war is illegal and must come to an end.
Iran confirmed that the two sides had this phone call.
Araqchi had previously stated on Sunday (July 26th) that Ukraine had attacked an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea the day before, resulting in the death of one crew member and injury of another. Iran indicated that they could not ignore such actions.
Sybiha pointed out that Ukraine’s actions were aimed at protecting their country from Russian aggression and not targeted at civilian ships or individuals.
“Our goal is to counter Russian aggression, and Russia bears full responsibility for all provocations and casualties,” he emphasized. “Our stance remains unchanged: Europe and the Middle East deserve stability, security, and peace.”
Ukrainian forces have recently carried out a series of long-range strikes against Russia. President Zelensky, in an interview with Sky News before his visit to the UK, acknowledged that the Ukrainian people are extremely weary after enduring a “lengthy war.” He stated that the long-range strikes were a way to make Russia bear the cost of war, “just to respond to attacks from the Russian military.”
Throughout the conflict with Russia that has lasted over four years, Ukraine has been frequently targeted by Iranian-designed drones.
During this period, Kyiv has developed technology to counter the threat of drones and has provided assistance to Middle Eastern countries facing attacks from Iran this year.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar mentioned on X platform that he had a conversation with Sybiha, discussing the challenges faced by both their countries, including the threats posed by Iran. He expressed eagerness to further deepen cooperation with Ukraine.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters)