On Thursday, 2 April, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha took part in an international meeting on restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, held under the chairmanship of the UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper.

“For Ukraine, Iranian terror is not an abstraction. Every Ukrainian knows the sound of Iranian Shahed drones. We know that this sound brings death. For many years, Iran has been helping Russia kill our people,” the Minister stated.

Andrii Sybiha recalled the recent historic tour of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Middle Eastern countries, during which long-term bilateral security agreements were signed with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He also noted that immediately after the escalation in the region began, Ukraine deployed specialists to Middle Eastern countries to directly exchange experience and strengthen security cooperation.

“There are no longer isolated regional conflicts. Ukraine’s combat experience is valuable for the Middle East. Global security is interconnected,” the Foreign Minister stressed.

Andrii Sybiha underlined the direct link between the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

“Terrorist regimes exchange experience. What Iran is doing today in the Strait of Hormuz, Russia was doing yesterday in the Black Sea. The problem is that Iran has learned from Russia’s mistakes and drawn conclusions,” he noted.

The Foreign Minister stated that, in the case of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is pursuing the same objectives that Russia had in the Black Sea: to destabilise global markets and blackmail others.

He added that the only difference is that four years ago Russia sought to weaponise food, whereas today Iran is attempting to weaponise energy.

According to the Minister, Ukraine is also directly interested in the stability of global markets. Russia must not be allowed to exploit instability in the Middle East to finance many more years of war.

Drawing parallels, Andrii Sybiha recalled that Ukraine succeeded in breaking Russia’s blockade in the Black Sea thanks to maritime drones and a smart strategy.

“We succeeded because we acted decisively — and this is exactly the mindset the world needs today. Ukraine’s position is clear: terror must receive a firm response, and freedom of navigation must be protected,” Andrii Sybiha emphasised.

He added that the principles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea must be upheld in the Strait of Hormuz just as they are in the Black Sea.

“We must put an end to this blockade. Ukraine stands ready to work with countries in the region bilaterally and to cooperate with our transatlantic partners. Ukraine is ready to contribute,” the Foreign Minister concluded.