Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his second trip abroad since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, will hold talks with the leaders of Iran and Turkey next Sunday in Tehran in an effort to strengthen military and economic support in the face of Western sanctions and military aid that the West provides to Kiev, world media write. .
Putin's second trip abroad
On June 18, Putin will visit Tehran, where he will meet with the presidents of Iran and Turkey, Ebrahim Raisi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Agence France-Presse reported the Kremlin's statement, which reads Radio Free Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday (July 12) that the three presidents will discuss Syria as part of the so-called "Astana peace process" in which the three countries are negotiating to end more than 11 years of conflict in the Middle Eastern country.
The Kremlin announced that Putin would also meet Erdogan separately in Tehran, without giving further details, AFP reported, adding that the Turkish leader has been calling for a meeting with the Russian president for months, while Ankara tries to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin visited Tajikistan and Turkmenistan at the end of last month, but the visit to Tehran will be his first trip outside the former republics of the Soviet Union since he ordered Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, according to Bloomberg.
The announcement of the summit in Tehran followed a telephone conversation between Putin and Erdogan on July 11 in which the two leaders discussed "coordinating efforts" to enable the safe export of grain from Black Sea ports, the Kremlin said.
On July 11, Erdogan also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among other things, about the "formation of safe corridors" for grain exports across the Black Sea, according to the Turkish president's website.
As Russia seeks a larger share of China's oil market to cushion the impact of Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Iran is forced to further lower the price of its already cheap oil to compete, according to Bloomberg.
Russian oil exports to China rose to a record high in May, as Russia overtook OPEC+ ally Saudi Arabia as the biggest supplier to the world's largest oil importer.
Smoothing the relationship
In his first trip abroad since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin compared himself to Peter the Great, was the center of attention among close allies in Central Asia and insisted the war was going according to plan. His second trip, according to The New York Times, will take him to much more difficult diplomatic terrain - meetings with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, two countries that are sometimes aligned and sometimes at odds with Russia and each other.
If the meetings go well for Putin, it will be an opportunity to bolster military and economic support to counter Western sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. Putin, however, according to the New York Times, may also have to do damage control, trying to smooth relations with Iran, from which Russia is taking part of the oil market, as well as with Turkey, a NATO member that, despite strong objections from Moscow, has allowed the alliance to expand. along the Russian borders.
Syria is one of the sticking points in relations between Iran and Turkey, two countries that could help Putin circumvent Western sanctions or drive wedges into relations between countries that have united in support of Ukraine, the New York Times points out, adding that Putin's departure to Tehran would could also be an attempt to counter the diplomatic efforts of US President Joe Biden, who will meet with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries during his visit to the Middle East this Sunday.
Erdogan has been an uneasy NATO ally for years, as he has often pushed his agenda, which has threatened consensus in the Western alliance. In recent years, he has also drawn closer to Putin and recently briefly blocked access to Sweden and Finland. However, Turkey proved to be one of the most active mediators between Putin and Zelensky. At the beginning of the war, Erdogan organized a meeting of the delegations of the two countries, while now he is seeking negotiations to lift the Russian blockade to allow the export of Ukrainian grain.
On the other hand, while Russia, according to the White House, is seeking drones from Iran for the war in Ukraine, analysts say Iran could also offer Moscow a key trade route and expertise in circumventing sanctions and exporting oil. Iran is also expected to join the multilateral security group the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which already includes Russia and China, at a summit in Uzbekistan in September.
However, although Iran and Russia have a long history of cordial relations, they may now, as reported by the New York Times, be strained due to competition for oil sales. Iran, long under severe Western sanctions, has been forced to rely heavily on oil sales to Asia, especially China. After the invasion of Ukraine and Russia, because of the sanctions, it is turning more towards those markets.
The key role of drones
After the announcement of Putin's departure to Tehran, the White House announced that Iran was preparing to supply Russia with hundreds of drones for fighting in Ukraine.
Iran has developed an advanced military industry under decades of sanctions, including the production of its own missiles and drones, according to The Financial Times.
The US and Gulf Arab states accuse Tehran of sending drones to Houthi rebels fighting in Yemen's civil war and claim Iran is behind a sophisticated missile and drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure.
Drones have played a key role on both sides of the war in Ukraine for various purposes – from firing missiles from a distance, to dropping small bombs on targets, to reconnaissance for artillery forces and ground troops, writes The Guardian.
Ukrainian forces have been particularly successful in using Turkish-made Bajraktar combat drones, while the US and other allies have supplied Kiev with various types of smaller drones.
US says Iran is preparing to send drones to Russia against Ukraine
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that the US has information indicating that Tehran is "preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones."
"Our information further indicates that Iran is preparing to train Russian forces in the use of those drones," Sullivan said, adding that it was not known whether Iran had already delivered some of the drones to Russia.
The Guardian reports that Russia has already received ammunition and military equipment from Iraq with the help of Iran's arms smuggling network.
Iran has repeatedly expressed its willingness to sign a long-term economic agreement with Russia, which has been under unprecedented Western sanctions since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The Iran-Russia Chamber of Commerce reports that Iran's exports to Russia have increased since the invasion began.
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