Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski on Sunday accused Iran of prolonging the war in Ukraine by supplying Russia with weapons, assuring that if it were not for this «help», it would be closer to peace.
«If it were not for the Iranian supply of weapons to the aggressor, we would be closer to peace now. And that means closer to a complete solution to the food crisis. Closer to solving the crisis of the high price of life,» the Ukrainian leader said in his daily address.
Zelenski’s remarks come after Iran admitted on Saturday to having delivered drones to Russia, although he qualified that it was before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
For this reason, the Ukrainian president has called on the entire international community to punish Iranian «complicity» with «Russian terror».
«Everyone will know that the Iranian regime is helping Russia to prolong this war and, therefore, to prolong the effect of those threats to the world, which were provoked precisely by the Russian war,» Zelensky has asserted.
In this sense, he remarked that the energy market «is closer to stabilization» and «closer to security against blackmail, which Russia does not abandon», so «all those who help Russia» to prolong the conflict should be responsible for its consequences.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amirabdolahian admitted on Saturday that his country has delivered a «limited» number of drones to Russia but qualified that the consignments were sent before the outbreak of the Ukrainian war.
«We have limited ourselves to providing Russia with a limited number of drones, months before the war in Ukraine,» the Iranian minister explained after weeks of accusations by the United States and its allies about Russia’s use of Iranian drones with explosive payloads during the conflict.
