Kiev and Tehran .. a state of "mistrust" after the Ukrainian plane was shot down

Safwan Gulak-Kiev

Kiev's reaction came strange after the Ukrainian plane crashed in Iran, as it was - according to observers - a poor response compared to Western positions that rushed to question and point the finger of blame at Iran before the latter admitted responsibility for "human error".

The weirdness of the reaction started with a statement in which the Ukrainian embassy in Tehran attributed the incident to a technical fault, then withdrew the statement suddenly, and opened the way for the possibility of other reasons, before gradually being strengthened by the scenario of "projection".

Some attribute this meager stance to a state of shock and confusion that Kiev faced with the accident, and they believe that its consequences for society are no less important than its repercussions for Iran.

Young salad
For his part, political analyst Viktor Nebojenko considered that the shooting down of the Boeing plane raised the concerns of the young authority that did not have sufficient experience, and did not know what to do in such incidents.

He said in this regard, "instead of accepting the West's evidence (the United States of America, Britain, Canada and Australia) immediately about the Iranian missile attack on the plane, our authorities started to waste time and search for additional arguments, and to broadcast a view on technical errors that led to the disaster."

Nebojinko believes that "the world has followed with great regret this strange behavior of Kiev, which practically distanced itself in the first three days from the terrible tragedy, then Iran pleaded guilty, the West won, and Ukraine lost morally."

Distrust
But others attributed Kiev's behavior to a "mistrust" that prompted her from the start to question the transparency of the Iranian side, and that he would either admit responsibility or bear the consequences.

Indeed, the head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Olexi Danilov, said, "Ukraine realized from the start that the plane was shot down, but it made a strategic decision not to disclose these conclusions until it included Iran's cooperation in the investigations."

"If we had said directly that they had brought it down, I was not sure that they would ever allow us to reach the wreck," the Ukrainian official said.

"We reached this conclusion before the Americans and the Canadians, but we were careful to avoid sharp criticism of Iran during this time to ensure that it cooperated in the investigation," he added.

Ukrainian escalation
The Ukrainian escalation began with the announcement of the Ukrainian Airlines Company that its planes will not fly over Iran anymore, accusing the government of Tehran of "negligence and putting the lives of passengers at a fatal risk, and not closing the airport that day in the height of tension with the United States."

The Ukrainian parliament also demanded the Tehran government an official apology, in addition to its insistence on moving black boxes to Kiev, revealing the identity of those who ordered the launching of the rockets that led to the accident, and holding him accountable.

Moreover, there are questions of compensation to the families of the victims, and the compensation of the Ukrainian Airlines at the price of the plane.

Indeed, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Vadim Pristiko, went further, saying that his country does not reject the possibility of "deliberate targeting" of the Ukrainian plane, adding, "We want to know who gave orders to launch the missile towards the plane."

Rapprochement with Washington
In this regard, a striking opinion is expressed that Kiev will adopt a scenario of escalation to rapprochement with the United States at a time when the Ukrainian-American relations are experiencing rifts against the backdrop of what is known as the "Ukraine scandal" aimed at removing President Donald Trump from his post.

"I do not rule out that Kiev would sacrifice its relations with Tehran for the sake of Washington. The incident came as an opportunity for the authorities to show the United States that it is on the side of the militants against Iran, who view it as a dangerous country," said political analyst Alexander Bali.