“We once again express solidarity with our friends in Cyprus; with Israel, which is constantly under attack; with the Gulf countries targeted by Iran: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.”
March 2, 2026 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha published a statement on X. In it, he linked the security of the Middle East, Europe, and Ukraine into one framework — through Iran’s role in the region and through Russia’s support in the war against Ukraine.
Sybiha formulates the thesis without diplomatic softening: the fall of the current Iranian regime, he says, “will significantly improve security” — both for the region and the world.
Why he brought the topic beyond the Middle East
Sybiha begins by demonstrating the scale of the threat: it’s not just a conflict “somewhere out there,” but real drone and missile flights affecting neighboring countries and even European space.
Quote:
“Iranian drones and missiles flew over the Middle East and beyond, reminding the world of the regional and global threats of this regime. Some even reached an EU member state — Cyprus.”
Mentioning Cyprus here works as a marker: if the threat is recorded on the territory of an EU state, it ceases to be a “regional story” and becomes a matter of pan-European security.
Solidarity with Israel and the Gulf countries
Separately, Sybiha listed the countries to which Ukraine expresses support. Israel is directly named in this list.
Quote:
“We once again express solidarity with our friends in Cyprus; with Israel, which is constantly under attack; and with the Gulf countries targeted by Iran: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.”
This is an important signal for the Israeli audience: Kyiv shows that it perceives the Israeli agenda of threats not as “foreign,” but as part of the common security equation.
At this point, NAnovosti — Israel News | Nikk.Agency captures the main meaning of the statement: Ukraine publicly links the security of Israel, the countries of the region, and European security into one conversation — without dividing into “yours” and “ours.”
Iran, Russia, and Ukraine: why the word “Shahed” is mentioned here
For the Israeli audience, the key meaning is in the “gluing” of agendas: the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry talks about Iran as if it is the same source of risk for Israel, Europe, and Ukraine.
In the same statement, Sybiha directly links Iran with the war against Ukraine — through Russia’s assistance and through the practical effect on Ukrainian soil.
Quote:
“The Iranian regime has been a major source of regional and international destabilization for years.”
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“It sowed chaos in the Middle East, supporting militant groups throughout the region. It struck at European security by directly supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
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“The Iranian regime has caused much suffering to our country, Ukraine, by selling Shahed drones to Russia.”
For the Ukrainian reader, this sounds not like geopolitics “in general,” but as a specific reason for night attacks, the load on air defense, and strikes on infrastructure.
Why Sybiha added Africa and Latin America
The statement unexpectedly includes a lot of geography — and this is done intentionally: to show a network of connections and zones of influence, not just one theater of conflict.
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“In Africa, the regime strengthened ties with the ‘belt of instability’ — with Russia-oriented Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.”
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“Its destructive influence spread to Latin America and the Caribbean through Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.”
The logic is simple: if the regime acts as a supplier of instability in several regions at once, then its fall is presented by Kyiv in advance as a factor of general ‘unloading effect’ for international security.
Final formula: “the seeds will return to it”
Sybiha concludes the statement with a moral-political conclusion, which became the central phrase.
Quote:
“Naturally, the seeds that this regime has sown will return to it. The fall of this regime will significantly improve the security of the entire region and the world.”
This is not a promise of timelines and not a forecast “by the calendar.” This is a public position: Ukraine considers the current Iranian regime a source of threats — both for Israel and the region, and for Europe, and for Ukraine itself.
Whom Israel should consider allies and whom — enemies: what the reactions of Russia and Ukraine show
If we look at the current campaign of Israel and the US against Iran (defensive and aimed at eliminating threats), the main political conclusion for Jerusalem is simple: in moments of real crisis, it quickly becomes clear who is ‘one of us,’ and who was just pretending.
And here two reactions — Russian and Ukrainian — look like a mirror.
What Russia declares
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the US and Israeli strikes on Iran “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression” and demanded an immediate halt to the military campaign.
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“This is a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent state.”
Further — even harsher: Moscow in this logic accuses ‘Washington and Tel Aviv’ of ‘hiding behind’ the nuclear program theme, while the real goal is regime change, and warns of the risk of ‘humanitarian, economic, and even radiological catastrophe’ and ‘uncontrolled escalation.’
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“They hide behind concerns about the nuclear program, but in fact, they seek regime change… These strikes lead to humanitarian, economic, and possibly radiological catastrophe and push the region into the abyss of uncontrolled escalation.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the next day develops the line: the war could lead to a nuclear arms race — and at the same time Moscow declares that it has not seen evidence of Iran developing a nuclear bomb before the strikes began.
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“The logical consequence may be that forces ‘for the bomb’ will strengthen in Iran because the US does not attack those who have nuclear weapons… We have not seen evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.”
For the Israeli government, this is a signal without embellishments: in the Iranian crisis, Moscow has taken the rails of defending Tehran and accusing Israel, not the rails of ‘understanding Israeli security.’ And this is no longer a matter of rhetoric — it is a matter of which coalition Russia considers ‘its own.’
What Ukraine declares
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, on the contrary, in a comment on the operation against the Iranian regime emphasizes support for the Iranian people and simultaneously lists why Kyiv considers the regime in Tehran guilty: repression within the country, support for militants in the region, and military assistance to the aggressor state Russia.
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“Kyiv supports the Iranian people and their legitimate aspiration to live in security, freedom, and prosperity… It is about massive human rights violations, support for militants in the region, and direct military assistance to the aggressor state Russia.”
And another important formulation of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry — about the link “Moscow–Tehran” as a threat to international security.
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“The cooperation of the Moscow and Tehran regimes is a gross violation of international law norms and undermines global efforts to restore peace and stability.”
Is there any ‘liga acheret’ with Putin in the future?
If we remove emotions and leave cold political arithmetic, then ‘liga acheret’ with Putin looks toxic for one reason: in the Iranian crisis, Russia publicly chose a side that is an existential risk for Israel.
And for Ukraine, Putin is not a ‘partner of complex negotiations,’ but the leader of an aggressor state with which the war has been going on for the fourth year. Therefore, the Ukrainian position regarding Iran is automatically read as a position against the axis ‘Tehran–Moscow.’
The conclusion for the current Israeli government here is unpleasant but clear: allies are those who, at the moment of a strike on Israel, do not start lectures about ‘aggression,’ but look at the source of the threat. The Iranian case showed that Moscow does not fall into this category.