Key facts
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on September 23.
- The meeting focused on mutual steps to prevent further aggravation of tensions between Ukraine and Iran.
- The diplomats agreed to keep existing channels of communication open.
- They exchanged views on the situations in the Middle East and Europe, as well as ongoing peace efforts.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met and agreed that only a diplomatic settlement could end tension in the Middle East.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on September 23 that he discussed ways to keep tensions in check during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 81st U.N. General Assembly in New York and was a follow-up to a conversation the two held in July.
Sybiha stated on X that the conversation focused on mutual steps to prevent further aggravation of tensions between their countries and that they agreed to keep communication channels open. He also noted that they exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and Europe, as well as various peace efforts, reiterating Ukraine's support for restoring peace and stability.
Ukraine has faced Iranian-designed drones in its conflict with Russia. The July conversation between Sybiha and Araghchi occurred after a Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian ship, which Iran denounced. At that time, Sybiha had asked Araghchi to refrain from escalatory steps and end support for Russia's war against Ukraine.
Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart met on Thursday and agreed that only a diplomatic settlement could end tension in the Middle East sparked by the US-Israeli war against Iran. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the meeting in New York that current regional and international issues were discussed with emphasis on the situation around Iran. The ministry stressed that there is no alternative to a diplomatic settlement of the crisis provoked by the illegal actions of the United States and Israel.