Britain, France and Germany called on Friday for the United Nations to investigate Russia's use of Iranian drones to attack Ukraine, and Washington confirmed its keenness for a diplomatic solution after a phone call between the Russian and American defense ministers, coinciding with the escalation of fighting in southern and eastern Ukraine.

In a letter signed by Britain, France and Germany to the United Nations, the three countries backed Ukraine's call for an investigation on Monday, saying the use of drones violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that backed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

"We welcome an investigation by the United Nations Secretariat team responsible for monitoring the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231, and stand ready to support the work of the Secretariat in conducting its technical and impartial investigation," the letter said.

On the other hand, Russia's representative to the Security Council said, "If the United Nations starts a false investigation, we will reconsider our relationship with it, because it will not be impartial at the time."

Twice a year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reports to the Security Council, usually in June and December, on the implementation of the 2015 resolution. Any assessment of the use of drones in Ukraine is likely to be included in that report.

Ukraine says Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones to attack it, but Tehran denies supplying Moscow with drones, and Russia denies using Iranian drones in Ukraine.


diplomatic movement

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he sees no evidence that Russia is interested in ending its aggression against Ukraine, and that Moscow is pushing - instead - in the opposite direction.

During a press conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Washington, Blinken said that Washington "will study every way to enhance diplomacy with Russia to end the war in Ukraine," explaining that US officials' contacts with their Russian counterparts will continue to end the war.

Blinken accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to destroy the determination of the Ukrainian people, but he is getting the opposite result, as he put it.

These statements came hours after phone talks between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, where Austin stressed the importance of maintaining lines of communication in light of war, according to the US Department of Defense (Pentagon).


Bombing and battles

On the ground, Russian forces continued to carry out attacks on energy, defense, military command, and communications facilities across Ukraine.

On Friday, Ukraine announced the recovery of 88 towns from the Russian forces in the Kherson region in the south of the country, and the Ukrainian army said that its forces had repelled 3 attack attempts by the Russian forces in the Pereslav region.

On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the thwarting of attacks by Ukrainian forces in Kherson, and the elimination of 120 Ukrainian soldiers.

Kirill Strimosov, deputy head of the pro-Russian regional administration in Kherson said that 4 civilians were killed and others, including journalists, were wounded in a missile strike on a civilian crossing.

And the media of the pro-Russian forces in Donetsk broadcast pictures of a separatist drone targeting Ukrainian military sites.

On the southern front, the fierce battles in Zaporozhye intensified in light of Ukrainian warnings of Russia's bombing of the "Kakhovka Dam", while the administration considered these warnings "false" to Russia.

On the eastern front, Al-Jazeera correspondent indicated that there were explosions in the city of Kharkiv after Russian bombing, and the governor of Kharkiv Province said that the Russian attacks had wounded 5 people, and that the missiles targeted industrial infrastructure.

In the Russian lands bordering Ukraine, the governor of the Russian Belgorod province, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced that the Ukrainian bombing targeted the border town of Murom with the Kharkiv province, indicating that no casualties were recorded.