France, Britain and Germany have asked the United Nations to conduct an "impartial" investigation into Iranian drones the West says Russia is using in the war in Ukraine. Despite the escalation in the conflict, France is insisting on the importance of keeping communication lines open with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"We would welcome an investigation by the UN Secretariat team responsible for monitoring the implementation of UNSCR 2231," the UN ambassadors of the three countries wrote in a letter on Friday.
UN Security Council Resolution 2231 endorsed the international agreement that provided for sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear program -- a deal that was later scrapped by then-US president Donald Trump.
In their letter, which was addressed to the Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the ambassadors said they would "stand ready to support the work of the Secretariat in conducting its technical and impartial investigation."
They added that they were "deeply concerned by the transfer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Iran to Russia in violation" of the resolution.
"These UAVs are being used by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine in attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, leading to the death of innocent civilians," they wrote.
French ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere called on Iran "to immediately cease all forms of support to Russia's aggression on Ukraine."
Western countries have accused Iran of supplying drones that Moscow is using to carry out strikes in Ukraine, and the White House said Thursday that Iranian personnel were on the ground in Crimea helping Russian forces conduct drone attacks.
However Russia's UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, called the charges "another fake (news) about the alleged supplies to Russia... We reject any attempts to involve the UN secretariat in this dirty undertaking."
Iran also strongly rejected the drone allegations at the United Nations earlier in the week.
Isolation not an option
Meanwhile, France's foreign minister said Friday it was vital to keep lines of communication open with Russia, warning that President Vladimir Putin is trapped in a "strange vision" of the world.
President Emmanuel Macron has spoken to Putin since the 24 February invasion of Ukraine, drawing some criticism from Russia's historic foes in eastern Europe, although the United States has also maintained lower-level contact including through talks between defense chiefs on Friday.
"We absolutely think it is crucial to keep a channel of communication with those making the decisions in Russia, including President Putin," French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on a visit to Washington.
"Putin is probably isolated in his very strange vision of the world and the way it could be run. Reinforcing this isolation of his would not be a good option," she said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"We need him to hear when we mention our analysis and our assessment of the mistakes he made and what he could do to move on in a different direction," she said.
Macron held marathon talks with Putin as part of a failed Western effort to dissuade him from invading the neighboring country.
While US President Joe Biden has shunned contact with his Russian counterpart, Macron has spoken to Putin in recent months and succeeded in allowing a mission by the UN nuclear watchdog to travel to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Colonna said she still hoped that the effort would lead to a demilitarized zone around the plant, the largest in Europe.
"This is too dangerous for the world to use as a zone of military confrontation," she said.
US-Russia in rare communication
Russia's defence minister held rare telephone talks with his US counterpart Friday, after pro-Kremlin officials said they were turning Ukraine's southern city of Kherson into a "fortress" as Kyiv's forces advance.
Few details emerged of the conversation between Russia's Sergei Shoigu and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, but both sides confirmed they had discussed Ukraine.
"Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing war against Ukraine," a US military spokesman said.
It was only the second call between the ministers since Moscow invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
(with newswires)
