Iraq seeks to maintain good relations with Russia and Ukraine 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq enjoys cordial relations with both Russia and Ukraine and aims to keep it that way, the country's security advisor Qasim al-Araji said on Thursday.

He made the remark during a meeting with the Ukrainian Embassy's Chargé d'Affairs to Baghdad Alexander Borvzhnikov.

The meeting coincided with a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey. It is the first such meeting between the two since the war began two weeks ago. 

Al-Araji told the Ukrainian diplomat that his country prefers dialogue and diplomatic solutions for resolving any crisis that occurs between countries, according to a statement from the top security official. 

He said that Iraqis have suffered from wars and sieges, so they understand the hardships Ukrainians are currently enduring. 

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halboosi called for dialogue and the end of military operations in Ukraine during his meeting with Borvzhnikov on Wednesday. 

Iraq abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia for its invasion. 

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than two million people have been displaced, according to UN estimates. 

Russia has faced political, cultural, and economic sanctions for the invasion, which had been recently slowed by fierce Ukrainian resistance. 

US President Joe Biden recently banned all Russian energy imports to the country in a bid to toughen the sanctions the superpower had previously imposed, including on technology.