The leaders of Ukraine and Iran spoke at the United Nations General Assembly today amid a pair of ongoing conflicts that, while separate, have contributed to tensions between the countries.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while Iran has been at war with the US and Israel since late February this year.
Though Tehran and Kyiv are nearly 1,500 miles apart as the crow flies, the wars have overlapping factors, as Iran and Russia are close strategic and military allies.
Many of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine have been carried out using Iranian-made Shahed drones, and Tehran has sent missiles and other weaponry to aid Moscow’s war effort.
Shortly after the Iran war broke out earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to help other countries, including the US, fend off Iranian drones and missiles.
Around the same time, CNN reported that Russia was helping Iran with advanced drone tactics and providing intelligence about US military positioning.
Ukraine has posted drone experts in the Middle East to help allies counter Iranian attacks, according to Zelensky. Kyiv has also signed defense agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
In late July, tensions flared further when Ukraine struck ships in the Caspian Sea involved in transporting military goods from Iran to Russia.
Iran condemned the attack, which killed one person, and threatened retaliation.
The next day, the foreign ministers of each country held a phone call.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that his country’s actions were aimed at defending Ukraine “from Russian aggression and never intended to target civilian vessels or people.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said later that Sybiha assured him the attack was unintentional.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Max Saltman, Nina Subkhanberdina, Natasha Bertrand, Jim Sciutto, Zachary Cohen, Jennifer Hansler, Nick Paton Walsh, Svitlana Vlasova, Victoria Butenko, Ivana Kottasová, Kosta Gak, Tim Lister, Karina Tsui, Billy Stockwell and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this reporting.