Iran Backs End of War in Ukraine

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Iran advocates an end to the war in Ukraine, adding that the crisis can only be resolved once its real roots are identified. 
“The crisis in Ukraine is rooted in the policies of America and the West which must be identified to take action in accordance,” he said in a televised speech on Tuesday, on the occasion of Eid al-Mab’ath which marks the beginning of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) mission, Leader.ir reported. 
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine.
The regions broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a Russia-friendly administration.
Putin says Ukraine has a puppet regime managed by foreign powers.
“Today, Ukraine is the victim of the US crisis-making policy,” the Leader said. 
It was the US that dragged Ukraine into this state by interfering in its domestic affairs, provoking rallies and mounting a coup, according to Ayatollah Khamenei. 
He stressed that the Islamic Republic’s fixed policy is opposing war, unlike western countries’ who have double standards. 
“We oppose war, killing of people and destruction of infrastructure belonging to nations anywhere in the world,” he said. 
The Leader also said important lessons can be learnt from the Ukraine incident. 
The first lesson is for all governments to know that the western countries’ backing of their puppet administrations is unreal and but a “mirage”, he said.
“Today’s Ukraine and yesterday’s Afghanistan are two living examples of governments who rely on America and Europe,” he said, adding that both administrations were abandoned by the West at the time of crisis. 
The US toppled the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001, but the insurgent group swiftly seized power from the replacing government again after the exit of American and alliance forces last year.  
It is also to be learnt that “people” are the most important support for governments and the main component of a country’s independence, according to Ayatollah Khamenei. 
The Ukrainian government would not have faced such a fate if the people had approved and backed it, he said. 

NATO’s Provocations 

Following the Russian attack, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the Ukraine crisis is rooted in NATO’s provocations, but added that war is not the solution. 
“We don’t believe that resorting to war is a solution. Imperative to establish ceasefire & to find a political and democratic resolution,” he tweeted. 
President Ebrahim Raisi also had a phone conversation with Putin in which he expressed concern about NATO’s expansion eastward, describing it as a “serious threat” to the region’s security and stability. 
Russia had security concerns about the presence of NATO in Eastern Europe and had made demands including that the military alliance pull back troops and weapons from that region and bar Ukraine from ever joining. 
NATO, however, put forces on standby and reinforced Eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, while the United States responded to Russian demands by repeating a commitment to NATO’s “open-door” policy.