Russian President Vladimir Putin will make his second international trip on Tuesday since his invasion of Ukraine in February – and his first outside the former Soviet Union in that period.
Putin is visiting Iran, where he will meet with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi.
This comes amid claims by Ukraine that more than 20 million tonnes of grain remain stranded in Ukraine due to Russia’s blockade of various Black Sea ports. Putin and Erdogan are ready to discuss the issue of grain exports from Ukrainian ports, the Kremlin said before the trip, according to state news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS.
“Work is very active. You know that on July 13, the first quadrilateral meeting on grain was held in Istanbul with the participation of representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations. We are ready to continue working on this path. , this work will be continued,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said at a briefing, quoted by RIA.
Meanwhile, Putin’s relationship with Iran has alarmed Western officials as he prepares to step up ground offensives in eastern Ukraine after his troops seized the Luhansk region.
Newly declassified US intelligence suggests Iran is expected to supply Russia with “hundreds” of drones — including drones capable of carrying weapons — for use in the war in Ukraine, as Iran prepares to begin training Russian forces on how to operate them as late as July, according to White House officials.
“Russia’s appeal to Iran for help speaks volumes about the extent to which both nations, because of their actions in different parts of the world, are increasingly isolated from the international community,” said John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the Council on National security to CNN last week.
Putin will hold bilateral talks with the two leaders later on Tuesday.
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