Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan, where they discussed growing economic cooperation and shared views on global affairs, Reuters reports.
Putin, who seeks to enhance relationships with nations in the Global East and Global South, highlighted the growing collaboration between Iran and Russia across various sectors amid tensions with the US and the EU over the war in Ukraine. Pezeshkian, who accepted Putin’s invitation for an official visit to Russia, expressed a commitment to deepening ties with Russia to counter Western sanctions. The two leaders are close to signing a strategic partnership agreement, potentially to be finalized at the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan.
Pezeshkian also criticized Israel’s actions in the Middle East, which he claims are supported by the US and EU. Meanwhile, the US is concerned about this growing Russia-Iran alliance, especially as it suspects Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for the Ukraine conflict, a claim that Tehran denies.
