Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he asked Tehran to stop supplying weapons to Russia in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Ukrainian officials and their Western allies have accuses Iran of supplying so-called “kamikaze” drones to Russia, which was recently used by Moscow’s forces to wreak havoc in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Iran has vehemently denied that it has sent any weapons, including dronesto Russia.
“Today, I received a call from Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian,” Kuleba wrote in a tweet late Friday.
“I demand that Iran immediately end the flow of weapons that Russia uses to kill civilians and destroy vital infrastructure in Ukraine,” he wrote.
Today, I received a call from Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in which I asked Iran to immediately stop the shipment of weapons to Russia that are used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure. in Ukraine.
– Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 28, 2022
Russia has unleashed a wave of missile and drone attacks in recent weeks, hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and forcing power cuts in Kyiv as well as cities and towns across the country. across the country.
Kyiv says Russia has used Iran-made Shahed-136 attack dronesjourney towards their target and explode on impact.
Amirabdollahian said on Monday that he is ready to talk to Ukraine The State of Iran IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) reported on claims that Tehran had sold drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.
Amirabdollahian denies supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, IRNA reported.
“In the past, we have taken weapons from Russia and supplied them with weapons, but not during the Ukraine war,” the foreign minister was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The minister also said he had told the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that Iran was ready to participate in the investigation into drones used in Ukraine.
IRNA quoted Abdollahian as saying: “I told Josep Borrell that I am ready for a team of military experts from Iran and Ukraine to evaluate claims about the use of Iranian-made drones in the conflict. Ukraine war.
Armed drones have become a key weapon in Russia’s arsenal during the war in Ukraine and have been used with devastating impact over the past month to target critical energy infrastructure. This has resulted in a nationwide power shortage in Ukraine.
Ukraine said on Friday that its forces had shot down more than 300 Russian drones since mid-September, which it described as Shahed-136 model imported from Iran.
Ukraine’s air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told journalists in Kyiv that Russia has ordered an estimated 2,400 kamikaze drones, though it’s unclear how precise Moscow’s drone arsenal is. .
Also on Friday, Iranian nationals living in Ukraine staged a protest in Kyiv against the Tehran government’s alleged supply of Russian drones that were used in Moscow’s war. with this country.
Iran has strongly condemned a Called by France, Germany and Great Britain for the United Nations to investigate whether Russia used Iranian-origin drones to attack Ukraine.
Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said late last week that the three countries’ call was “false and baseless” and it was “strongly rejected and condemned”.
In a letter signed by UN envoys, three European countries supported Ukraine’s request for a UN investigation, alleging that the use of drones violated Council Resolution 2231. UN Security Council on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The US said the export of “kamikaze drones” used in Ukraine could violate the resolution, potentially triggering an automatic reinstatement of international sanctions against Iran.
