'Freedom to the Iranian people' — Kyiv voices support for US-led strikes on Iran
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Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed the country's support for US-led strikes against Iran, saying on Feb. 28 that "the regime in Tehran had every opportunity to prevent a violent scenario."
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran in the early hours of Feb. 28, with U.S. President Donald Trump calling for regime change in the country.
Since the initial attack, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against neighboring countries in the region which house U.S. military bases.
Leading up to the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly supported the idea of attacks against the Iranian regime, although he stressed that diplomatic talks were the best way forward.
"The reason for the current events is precisely the violence and arbitrariness of the Iranian regime, in particular the murders and repressions against peaceful protesters, which have become particularly large-scale in recent months," the Foreign Ministry said in its Feb. 28 statement.
The ministry made a distinction between the Iranian regime and the Iranian people, declaring that the Ukrainian government stands by "the Iranian people and their legitimate desire to live in security, freedom and prosperity."
"We wish security, prosperity, and freedom to the Iranian people, as well as stability and prosperity to the Middle East," the statement from the Foreign Minisitry reads.
In its statement, the Foreign Ministry also invoked the Iran-supplied Shahed drones used in thousands of attacks against Ukrainian cities since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, adding that Tehran and Moscow's wartime alliance was "a gross violation of international law."
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement released on Feb. 28, also pointed out that Russia has used more than 57,000 Shahed-type drones in its attacks against Ukraine since 2022.
"It is fair to give the Iranian people a chance to rid themselves of a terrorist regime and to guarantee security for all nations that have suffered from terror originating in Iran," Zelensky said.
However, Zelensky also cautioned against the war expanding into a wider conflict, saying that "it is important to preserve as many lives as possible" and that it is "important" that the U.S. is "acting decisively."
