Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow will “do everything” in its power to help end the US-led war on Iran, according to Russian news agency reports.
The two leaders held talks in Turkmenistan on Thursday ahead of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a regional grouping of former Soviet nations, reports Al Jazeera.
According to Interfax, Putin told Pezeshkian that Moscow understands Tehran’s position and is ready to provide all possible assistance to resolve the situation. Russian media reported that Putin said Iran was making genuine efforts to end a conflict that had broken out through no fault of its own.
Putin also noted what he described as a “positive evolution” in bilateral relations between Russia and Iran.
The meeting followed a telephone conversation between the two leaders on Wednesday, during which Putin told Pezeshkian that Moscow was prepared to mediate peace efforts in the Middle East, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
The leaders had previously met last month on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan.
Both countries remain under heavy Western sanctions and have steadily strengthened their diplomatic and military cooperation. Last year, Moscow and Tehran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covering trade, military cooperation, science, culture and education.
Their deepening ties come amid mutual allegations involving Western nations. Ukraine and Western governments have accused Iran of supplying Russia with Shahed drones and short-range missiles for its military operations in Ukraine. Russia, meanwhile, stands accused of providing targeting data to Iran to facilitate attacks on US targets across the Middle East.
The high-level meeting took place amid an apparent deadlock in negotiations between Iran and the United States.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington would not attack Iran before the November 3 US midterm congressional elections. He added that the two countries were holding “productive” discussions aimed at ending the ongoing war.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to resolve Russia’s offensive in Ukraine remain deadlocked, as both sides intensify their military attacks.
