Kuleba: Iran's statement about non-payment of compensation to UIA is not official

"The statement made is not the official position of Iran’s government and is not a negotiating position. Therefore, we do not pay attention to this statement and continue to work with the Iranian side," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Radio NV.

The minister stressed that Ukraine was committed to finding a solution but would not tolerate any attempts to avoid responsibility.

"Our strategy is the following: we want Iran to admit its guilt and pay all compensation, we want to turn over this page [in relations with Iran], and move on. I don't want this story to lie as a heavy burden on both countries for years. I conveyed that position to Iran," Kuleba said.

As reported, Chief of Iran's Central Insurance Organization Gholamreza Soleimani said that Iran would not pay compensation to the Ukraine International Airlines for its plane downed in January because the jet was insured by European companies.

In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Yenin stated that Iran would not be able to avoid paying compensation.

On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, killing 176 people, including nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK).

On July 18, France's Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority (BEA) received Flight PS752’s recorders from Iran. Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Yenin informed that the transcript from Flight PS752’s recorders had confirmed illegal interference with the plane.

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