TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has announced that Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian is set to pay a visit to Moscow soon for talks with the Russian officials.

Speaking with Sputnik on Friday, Kanaani also said Tehran and Moscow have cooperated on defense matters for years prior to the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.

The military and defense connections between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation is within the context of the two countries’ shared interests and are not directed against any third country, the ministry spokesman stressed.

“Relations between Iran and Russia are dependent on the political desire of the two nations,” Kanaani remarked.

He said military collaboration between Iran and Russia has a long history.

The comments came precisely one year after Russia launched what it refers to as a special military operation against Ukraine.

Moscow said that this operation is intended to halt Kiev’s persecution of the ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine and “de-Nazify” the former Soviet republic.

Western nations have been claiming that Iran has been supplying military drones to Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Tehran has categorically denied the accusations, pointing out that it has not transferred any drones to Russia for use in the conflict in Ukraine.

Kanaani emphasized that those who frequently propagandize against Iran and falsely charge it with aiding Russia in the Ukrainian crisis had to look at the magnitude of their weaponry supplies to that side.

Actions taken by countries selling tens of billions of dollars in arms to the one side of the conflict will lose lucrative business if the war ends, he said, adding that these powers do not want a “political approach” to the war.

Since the commencement of the crisis, Iran has sought to find a political solution to put an end to the conflict, he said.

The official stated that although there has always been goodwill between Iran and Ukraine, it has suffered since last year as a result of the conflict in the country and political pressure from the West on Kiev.

The UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday overwhelmingly backed a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

It called for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and a halt to fighting.

The motion was backed by 141 nations with 32 abstaining and seven voting against.

China, India, Iran and South Africa were among the 32 countries to abstain in the vote.

The seven countries who voted against were Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the vote "made it clear that Russia must end its illegal aggression. Ukraine's territorial integrity must be restored".

"One year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion global support for Ukraine remains strong," he tweeted.