The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andri Sibiga, urged Iran on Tuesday to stay on the sidelines and avoid providing "any support" to Russia in the war against Ukraine. The message came during a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, in which he reiterated that Kiev's priority is to "counter Russian aggression."
"I called the Foreign Minister of Iran (...) to have an open conversation. Diplomacy is about direct dialogue, even when it is difficult (...) I emphasized the need to refrain from any measures that would aggravate the situation, as well as to end any support for Russia's war against Ukraine," he indicated on his social media, stressing that "this war is illegal and must end."
Sibiga insisted that Kiev aims to "avoid unnecessary escalation" and emphasized that "all of Ukraine's actions have the sole objective of defending the country from Russian aggression." In this regard, he reiterated that "our goal is to counter Russian aggression, which is the fundamental cause of all incidents, and it is Russia that bears full responsibility for all provocations and casualties."
In the call, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy also assured his Iranian counterpart that Kiev's forces "at no time intended to attack civilian vessels or the civilian population." These words come after Tehran denounced an attack attributed to Ukraine last Saturday against an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, in which a sailor died, and warned that the incident would not go "unpunished."
"Our position remains the same: Europe and the Middle East deserve stability, security, and peace," Sibiga stated, while Araqchi limited himself to confirming the phone conversation without providing additional details about its content.