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G7 leaders call on Iran not to supply Russia with missiles

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G7 leaders call on Iran not to supply Russia with missiles
Missiles and drones are shown for the people on the side of the road in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 11, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes (Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Group of Seven (G7) leaders called on third parties to stop providing Russia with material support, naming Iran in their joint statement published on March 15.

Iran has been cooperating with Russia on military supplies since the first year of Russia's all-out war in Ukraine in 2022, becoming Russia's key drone provider.

In February, Reuters reported that Iran had already sent 400 ballistic missiles to Russia. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed this claim.

"We are extremely concerned about reports that Iran is considering transferring ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia after having supplied the Russian regime with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), which are used in relentless attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine," the statement reads.

Iran's involvement would lead to additional destabilization in the region and represent "a substantive material escalation" in its support for Russia's war, G7 leaders said.

The officials warned that they are prepared to respond "swiftly," including with new "significant measures" against Iran if it proceeds with supplying Russia with ballistic missiles or related technology.

The U.S. said in February it would impose new sanctions and "prepared to go further" if Iran sold Moscow ballistic missiles.

While Russia's use of Iranian missiles to attack Ukraine has not been confirmed, Ukrainian authorities have recorded several cases of North Korean missile launches by Russian troops.

One of the first cases was recorded on Dec. 30, 2023, during an attack on Zaporizhzhia, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) wrote. Later on, Russia also struck Kyiv and Kharkiv Oblast with North Korean weaponry.

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The White House announced on Oct. 13 that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to bolster Russia’s war against Ukraine. Washington published pictures tracking a set of containers as it traveled from Najin, North Korea, to Dunay, Russia, by a Russ…
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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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