The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine rejects the unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations made by Qasim Al-Aboudi, National Security Advisor of the Republic of Iraq, during an interview with Dijlah TV, regarding Ukraine’s alleged involvement in unlawful activities on Iraqi territory. There are no facts or evidence to support these allegations—a point the Iraqi official himself acknowledged in his interview.

It is important to note that prior to making such high-profile public statements, the Iraqi side had not conveyed any relevant information or concerns to Ukraine through diplomatic channels. Had there been any substance to these allegations, such a channel of communication would have been logical. Instead, the Ukrainian side learned of the accusations against it directly from a live television broadcast.

We consider it unacceptable and irresponsible for a senior official of a friendly state to publicly disseminate such statements without a proper evidentiary basis. This contradicts the principles of mutual respect and damages Ukrainian-Iraqi relations.

Ukraine consistently views the Republic of Iraq as an important partner in the Middle East and remains firmly committed to advancing mutually beneficial political, economic, and humanitarian cooperation.

Notably, the statements voiced align with Russian propaganda narratives aimed at discrediting Ukraine and undermining its relations with Middle Eastern nations. It cannot be ruled out that this incident is the result of external information influence or part of a coordinated information and psychological operation designed to destabilize the Ukrainian-Iraqi partnership.

We call on the official circles of the Republic of Iraq to appropriately address the spread of these baseless allegations and to prevent state institutions from being used to amplify disinformation that serves the interests of third parties and harms bilateral relations.