Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin confirmed Tuesday.
Iran’s official news agency Irna had earlier reported on the planned visit, saying that the two leaders would discuss “bilateral issues, including economic interactions, as well as discussions about regional and international issues, especially the situation in Gaza, [which] will be high on the agenda of the one-day trip.”
“I can confirm. There will be Russian-Iranian negotiations on December 7,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday when asked about media reports.
Raisi’s visit will come a day after Putin travels to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for talks on energy and regional politics.
The trips will make up Putin’s fifth trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him in March over the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Putin and Raisi last spoke by phone on Oct. 16, a call during which they raised concerns about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militants.
Russia’s top diplomat and military chief visited Iran earlier this fall.
Since invading Ukraine last year, Russia has turned to Iran for military support and economic partnerships as both countries face a raft of Western sanctions.
Western countries have accused Tehran of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by providing it with large quantities of drones and other weaponry.
AFP contributed reporting.
