Kiev, July 29: Ukraine’s Acting Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba engaged in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi. Kuleba shared this update on social media.
In a post on the platform ‘X’, Kuleba stated, “I had an open discussion with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi. Diplomacy means direct dialogue, even when it is challenging. I emphasized that our goal is to prevent unnecessary escalation.”
He reiterated that all of Ukraine’s actions aim solely to defend the nation against Russian aggression, not to target civilian vessels or individuals.
Kuleba further noted, “This applies to the recent incident where Iran claimed the death of one of its citizens and the targeting of a civilian ship.”
According to Xinhua news agency, Iran accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, resulting in an explosion and the death of a sailor.
Kuleba asserted that their objective is to counter Russian attacks, which are the root cause of all incidents, and that Russia is fully responsible for all provocations and fatalities.
He stated, “I discussed the need to avoid any provocative actions and to eliminate any support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. This conflict is illegal and must end. Our stance remains unchanged. Europe and the Middle East deserve stability, security, and peace.”
Earlier, on Tuesday, Araghchi mentioned that Kuleba assured him that the attack on the Iranian commercial ship was unintentional and that Ukraine does not wish to escalate tensions.
In his post on ‘X’, Araghchi expressed that Iran also does not seek to escalate tensions but made it clear that any attack on their citizens or interests is unacceptable. Compensation for damages is necessary. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, stating it caused an explosion on the ship and resulted in a sailor’s death.
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