Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Iran next week, revealed a day after U.S. officials warned that the Iranian government could provide the Kremlin with weapons-capable drones to use in Ukraine.
Putin is expected to attend a meeting next Tuesday in Tehran with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, the so-called Astana format of meetings, for Syria-related talks.
PUTIN EXTENDS SIMPLIFIED CITIZENSHIP PROCESS TO ALL UKRAINIAN RESIDENTS
Putin will also hold separate talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while in Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Associated Press.
Erdogan mediated negotiations with Russian and Ukrainian officials earlier this year in Istanbul, Turkey. No such discussions are expected to be held next week, Peskov added.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that U.S. intelligence indicates that the “Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline.”
Sullivan also warned that Iran is planning to train Russian troops to use the new weapons, beginning as early as this month.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Russia had been acting as a key mediator in the latest efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran. Those efforts were complicated when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine and subsequently demanded that the United States lift some of its war-related sanctions.
Putin’s trip will follow President Joe Biden’s overseas trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia this week.
