Iran ready to help in Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks: Amir-Abdollahian
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tells his Ukrainian counterpart that Tehran is ready to mediate ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference at the foreign ministry headquarters in the capital, Tehran, June 25, 2022 (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba had a phone conversation, during which they discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in Ukraine, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Amir-Abdollahian repeated Iran's denial of supplying weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine after Kuleba called on Tehran to "immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia."
"We have good ties with Russia and have had defense cooperation since earlier, but our policy towards the war in Ukraine is to respect the territorial integrity of countries, not to send weapons to conflicting parties, stop the war and end the displacement of people," Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.
"Ukraine should be careful not to be influenced" by some European politicians, the top Iranian diplomat stressed.
Reportedly, Russia is chiefly using the Geran-2 type kamikaze drone against Ukraine, with many reports surfacing about the matter in recent days.
The Russian armed forces have been conducting a vicious campaign over the past few weeks, which has seen Moscow shelling Ukraine and carrying out drone strikes, causing air raid sirens to blare throughout the country, and leading to a highly tense atmosphere.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went as far as claiming that Russia was deploying almost 2,500 attack drones purchased from Iran.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during an online briefing earlier in the month that he submitted a proposal to Ukraine's President Volodimir Zelensky to formally break off diplomatic ties with Iran.
During the briefing, Kuleba accused Iran of having supplied weapons to Russia despite having no evidence to support his claims.
Kuleba added that for relations to be restored, this would require Tehran to cease the alleged supplies of weapons to Russia.
Ukraine is following in the footsteps of its EU allies, as
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, requesting that the UN look into Russia's alleged use of Iranian military drones in Ukraine.
Read next: E3 over Iranian drones: Sanctions first, proof later
According to the letter, there is "substantial" open-source evidence, including photographs and videos, of Russia's use of Iranian military drones in Ukraine.
That came two days after the European Union imposed sanctions on three Iranian individuals and one entity over claims of developing and delivering Iranian drones to Russia to use against Ukraine, albeit without providing proof to substantiate the claims.
The EU added to its sanctions "blacklist" Iranian drone maker Shahed Aviation Industries, the current chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces Major General Mohammed Hossein Bagheri, logistics officer General Sayed Hojatollah Qureishi, and the commander of the IRGC's drone program Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani.
