The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Iraq's accusations against Ukraine and pointed to the trail of Russian propaganda

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine categorically rejects the baseless accusations by Iraq's National Security Advisor regarding Ukraine's alleged involvement in illegal activities in that country, seeing in this the influence of Russian narratives. This was stated by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Heorhii Tykhyi, reports UNN.

Details

According to Tykhyi, the Iraqi side did not provide any evidence for its words and did not even attempt to resolve the issue through traditional diplomatic channels.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine rejects the baseless and unsubstantiated accusations made by the National Security Advisor of the Republic of Iraq, Qasim al-Aboudi, in an interview with Dijlah TV, regarding Ukraine's alleged involvement in illegal activities on the territory of Iraq. There are no facts or evidence for such accusations, which the Iraqi official himself acknowledged in his interview 

The spokesperson of the department stressed that the Ukrainian side learned about the allegations from a live broadcast, not from an official note or appeal.

It is important to note that before such resonant public statements, the Iraqi side did not transmit any relevant information or concerns to Ukraine through diplomatic channels 

Tykhyi added that if the accusations had any basis, it would be logical to imagine precisely this form of communication. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers it unacceptable and irresponsible when a high-ranking official of a friendly state publicly spreads such statements without a proper evidence base. After all, this contradicts the principles of mutual respect and harms Ukrainian-Iraqi relations. 

The diplomatic department also drew attention to the fact that such allegations play into the hands of the aggressor country.

The stated theses coincide with the narratives of Russian propaganda aimed at discrediting Ukraine and undermining its relations with the states of the Middle East 

According to him, it cannot be ruled out that this episode — is a consequence of external information influence or an element of a coordinated information and psychological operation.

We call on the official circles of the Republic of Iraq to respond appropriately to the spread of baseless accusations and to prevent the use of state institutions for relaying disinformation 

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraine consistently views the Republic of Iraq as an important partner in the Middle East and consistently advocates for the development of mutually beneficial political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation.

Context

The Russian Federation systematically conducts information and psychological operations in the countries of the Middle East and the Global South, trying to discredit Ukraine and weaken its international support. 

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian media and resources under their control have repeatedly spread fakes about the alleged transfer of Western weapons from Ukraine to conflict regions or the involvement of Ukrainians in destabilization in other countries. 

All such allegations have been refuted by both the Ukrainian side and international partners.

Let us add that Ukraine and Iraq have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992. The Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent participated in stabilization measures in Iraq in 2003–2008. Official Kyiv has always consistently supported the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the Republic of Iraq.