Ukrainian foreign minister warns Iran against escalation, urges end to Russian support

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Tuesday that he spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, after Iran condemned a Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian ship. Sybiha warned against escalation and called on Iran to end all forms of support for Russia.

Sybiha wrote on X, "I emphasized the need to refrain from any escalatory steps, as well as to end any support for Russia's war against Ukraine. This war is illegal and must stop."

Araghchi confirmed on X that Sybiha had assured him the attack on the Iranian ship was not intentional and that Kyiv was not seeking escalation.

He said, "Iran also does not seek escalation, but we made it clear that any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable. There must be compensation for the losses."

On Sunday, Araghchi said the Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, which killed one sailor and injured another, "cannot go unanswered."

Sybiha said on Tuesday that Ukraine's actions were "primarily aimed at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian ships or civilians."

During the war, now in its fifth year, Ukraine has faced waves of Iranian-designed or manufactured drones launched by Russia.