Iranian FM Voices Concern about Ukraine Situation

“We are concerned about the situation in Ukraine,” Zarif said on Sunday, citing the recent developments and escalation of political crisis in the east European nation.

He made the comments at a joint press conference with Spain’s visiting foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo y Marfil, here in Tehran.

Zarif further expressed the hope that “a solution based upon calm and progress would be agreed” by the Ukrainian conflicting sides in a bid to prevent the escalation of crisis in that region, which he described as “critical” for many regional countries.

Iranian officials have time and again emphasized the need for stability and calm in crisis-hit Ukraine, stressing that the east European country’s destiny should be exclusively determined by its nation.

In the most recent development, Secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council Andriy Paruby said on Sunday that the country has called up all military reserves and must ensure the armed forces are combat-ready as soon as possible.

He also added that an order had been given to the Foreign Ministry to seek US and British help in guaranteeing the security of Ukraine.

The West is facing its biggest confrontation with Russia since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the right to invade his neighbor.

Ethnic Russian forces have already bloodlessly seized Crimea, an isolated Black Sea peninsula where most of the population are Russian and Moscow has a naval base, and sought to disarm the small Ukrainian contingents there on Sunday.

Putin has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population in Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine.

Putin's declaration that he has the right to invade his neighbor - for which he quickly received the unanimous approval of his parliament - opened the prospect of war in a country of 46 million people on the ramparts of central Europe.

"President Obama expressed his deep concern over Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is a breach of international law," the White House said after the two leaders spoke for 90 minutes.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, leading a government that took power after Moscow ally Viktor Yanukovich fled a week ago, said Russian armed action "would be the beginning of war and the end of any relations between Ukraine and Russia".