UPDATE 1-EU verifying Iranian involvement in Ukraine war, top diplomat says

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BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) – The European Union is seeking concrete evidence of any Iranian involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine, the bloc’s top diplomat said on Monday.

Ukraine has reported a spate of Russian attacks with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones in recent weeks. Iran denies supplying the drones to Russia, while the Kremlin has not commented.

“We will look for concrete evidence about the participation (of Iran in the Ukraine war),” Josep Borrell told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, adding Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba would take part in the gathering.

The EU could decide to move towards imposing new sanctions against Iran over the matter, according to two diplomats involved in preparing talks among the ministers, though no detailed decisions were expected on Monday.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said the EU should react strongly to new air attacks on Kyiv where drones struck buildings near a central railway station during rush hours on Monday morning.

“What we can see now: Iranian drones are used apparently to attack in the middle of Kyiv, this is an atrocity,” Kofod said, saying the EU had to take “concrete steps” in response to that, as well as Tehran cracking down on protesters at home. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Marine Strauss, Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Ingrid Melander)