View of Tehran, Iran. File photo TEHRAN, May 17. The Iranian authorities intend to resume their efforts to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv and resolve the conflict, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzade told RIA Novosti. «We will be able to contribute (to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia — ed.) as much as we are capable and as far as both sides are ready. The Islamic Republic of Iran, God willing, will begin a new round of its efforts (to resolve the conflict),» Khatibzadeh said. He also noted that both sides take seriously refer to Iranian mediation. This, according to Khatibzade, was stated both during the visits of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and in his contacts with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
