Zelensky on downing of Ukrainian plane, sale of drones to Russia: There is no trust in Iran's leadership

video

22.10.2022 20:55

Ukrinform

There is no trust in Iran's leadership, as the country has not paid the promised compensation to the families of the dead passengers of a Ukrainian passenger jet that was shot down by an Iranian missile in 2020, and is currently selling weapons to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during an interview with Canadian television channels CTV and CBC, Ukrinform reports.

"I personally don't trust the leadership of Iran. Why? Do you remember the tragedy of the Ukrainian Airlines (Flight 752), which was taken down when an Iranian missile hit it, and there were lots of Canadian citizens on board. Iranian leadership said, 'That wasn't us.' When our experts and partners, including the Canadians, found the details that proved Iran's involvement, they admitted that it was accidental and called it a historical drama, saying at the leadership level that there would be support for the families of the victims. And what did they do? Nothing. They didn't help at all," he said.

Zelensky emphasized that in the future, Iranian diplomats and leadership constantly refuted data from Ukrainian intelligence regarding the sale of Shahed-136 drones to Russia, calling it a provocation to spoil relations between the countries. Currently, this lie, according to the president, has catastrophic tragic consequences for Ukraine.

"Many times - both at the level of ambassadors, at the level of the state leadership and at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - they publicly denied all this. Now we see hundreds of strikes on Ukraine: on the capital, on civil infrastructure, on schools, on universities and on energy facilities. Just to make sure that people could not survive this winter," he said.

Zelensky said that there can be no trust in Iran, because it is a supplier of drones and missiles for Russia.

"Iran continues to deliver drones to Russia - not one, not two, not five: this is not a coincidence. We know that there are orders for thousands. Hundreds have definitely been delivered," he added.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, earlier condemned Iran's support for Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.

Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, en route from Tehran to Kyiv, crashed shortly after takeoff from the international airport of the Iranian capital early on January 8, 2020. All 176 people who were on the plane were killed - 167 passengers and nine crew members. Among the dead are 11 citizens of Ukraine. According to reports, the plane was shot down by Iranian air defense.