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Vladimir Putin met his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi following arriving in Tehran
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Iran on his second foreign visit following launching the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
Putin will meet with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Russian president is also scheduled to meet with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A Turkish official said grain exports, Syria and Ukraine are among the topics to be discussed in the talks in Tehran.
The Russian president has reduced his international visits since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
On his first international trip since February, Putin visited Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, both former members of the Soviet Union and now led by Russia’s allies.
Putin’s visit to Tehran will provide an opportunity to deepen relations with Iran, one of Moscow’s few remaining international allies, the other targeted by Western economic sanctions.
This follows a claim by US officials last week that Tehran intends to supply Russia with hundreds of drones for its war in Ukraine.
“Contact with Khamenei is very important,” Yury Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy adviser, told a media briefing Monday. A dialogue of confidence has developed between them on the most important issues on the bilateral and international agenda.
Turkey and Russia have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war and have been looking for ways to reduce violence in recent months.
But the meeting comes amid Turkish threats to launch a new offensive in northern Syria once morest US-backed Kurdish militants, a move opposed by Iran and Russia.
This operation is part of Erdogan’s plans to create a 30-kilometer safe zone along Turkey’s border with Syria.
Last week, the UN Security Council agreed to renew permission for cross-border aid deliveries to Syria in rebel-held areas for six months following Russia initially held up a proposal to extend it for one year.
Ankara has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, with Erdogan’s government seeking to play the role of mediator.
picture released, Getty Images
Heavy fighting affected grain crops in Ukraine.
The meeting might provide an opportunity for the Turkish leader to conclude a preliminary agreement between Russian and Ukrainian leaders to ensure the export of 22 million tons of grain.
Heavy fighting has affected Ukraine’s annual grain harvest.
Turkey’s defense minister said last week that the two sides had agreed on ways to ensure the safety of shipping routes for grain ships.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet is said to stop any shipments from entering or leaving.
“The issue of the Ukrainian grain shipment will be discussed with Erdogan. We are ready to continue working on this path,” Ushakov said.
But the talks come as officials and local farmers near the front line of the conflict have accused Russia of deliberately bombing grain fields.
Ole Belenko, a local politician in southern Ukraine and a former Russian prisoner, told the BBC that farmers in his constituency near the southern city of Mykolaiv were constantly bombarded by artillery and rockets.
He said that Russian forces were “bombing fields, agricultural machinery and grain barns.” He added that many farmers “fell victims of such attacks and were injured by shrapnel.”
“Professional firefighting teams from the city of Mykolaiv are afraid to go there because the situation is very dangerous. Many fires were put out by our own efforts. But now the bombing has increased,” he said.
