July 28 (Reuters) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday he called his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, following Iran’s denunciation of a Ukrainian drone attack on one of its ships, warned him against escalation and told him to end all support for Russia.
“I emphasised the necessity to refrain from any escalatory steps, as well as to end any support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. This war is illegal and it must end,” Sybiha wrote on X of his conversation with Araqchi.
Araqchi confirmed on X that he had been assured by Sybiha that the attack on the Iranian ship was unintentional and that Kyiv did not seek escalation.
“Iran does not seek escalation either, but made clear any attack on our citizens or interests is unacceptable. There must be restitution for losses,” Araqchi said.
Araqchi had said on Sunday that the Ukrainian attack on the Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, which killed one sailor and injured another, could not go unanswered.
Sybiha said Ukraine’s actions were “aimed solely at defending our country from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people”.
In more than four years of conflict with Russia, Ukraine has faced barrages of Iranian-designed drones.
Kyiv has, over that time, developed technology to counter drone threats and has offered its assistance to Middle Eastern countries facing strikes launched this year by Tehran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, meanwhile, wrote on X that he had spoken to Sybiha and “discussed the challenges facing our nations, including the threat posed by Iran.”
He said he looked forward to deepening cooperation with Ukraine.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Nia Williams and Daniel Wallis)
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