ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ukraine’s president on Sunday accused Iran of prolonging the war and destabilizing peace in the country by supplying drones to Russia.
Following talks with President of the European Commission, Ursala von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made the statements in a video of his nightly address.
Zelensky blamed Iran for making the war last longer, demanding that Tehran be held internationally accountable. “The whole world will know that the Iranian regime is helping Russia to prolong this war,” adding that “absolutely everyone who helps Russia to prolong this war must be responsible for the consequences of this war along with it.”
The president suggested that if Iran had not supplied weapons to Russia, Ukraine would be closer to peace as well as to reaching a solution to the food and cost of living crisis.
“Today, the occupiers again used Iranian attack drones. There is a beating. But, unfortunately, there are also hits”, Zelenksy confirmed.
“Tehran should realize that the consequences of complicity in the crimes of Russian aggression against Ukraine will be much larger than the benefits of Russia’s support,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Sunday in a Facebook post.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, admitted for the first time on Saturday that his country has sent drones to Russia but claimed that the supply took place before the Russia-Ukraine war despite Iran repeatedly denying the accusations labeling them as “baseless”.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, spoke with his Iranian counterpart over phone on Friday during which Kubela “demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine.”
The US has also condemned the use of Iranian-made drones in Ukraine. “It is our belief that these UAVs that were transferred from Iran to Russia and used by Russia in Ukraine are among the weapons that would remain embargoed under [UN Security Council Resolution] 2231," Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the US State Department told reporters on Monday.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on Iran in recent weeks, accusing the country of providing drones to Russia.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February, sparking a war that has exacerbated global food prices and fueled a financial crisis.
By Zheen Saman
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