The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on Iran to refrain from statements or steps that will fuel the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, said spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko.

"Any accusations of allegedly preparing an attack on the Russian Federation are groundless and manipulative. We call on the Iranian side to refrain from statements or steps that will fuel Russia's aggression against Ukraine," Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

According to him, the Ukrainian side is concerned over the change in rhetoric on the part of the Iranian leadership.

"We have paid attention to the statements of the Iranian leadership, which indirectly justify the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation, Iran has publicly declared its position of neutrality and advocated a ceasefire and a political and diplomatic settlement. In this context, the Ukrainian side is concerned about the change in rhetoric on the part of the Iranian leadership," Nikolenko said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said that "condoning Russia's aggressive actions not only encourages it to continue an unprovoked war against the people of Ukraine, but also lays the foundation for destabilizing peace and security in other regions of the world."

Earlier, Iran's supreme and spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that if Russia had not stopped NATO's actions in Ukraine, then after a while this alliance would have started a war under the pretext of Crimea.