A key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday on a visit to deepen trade and security cooperation, as Moscow seeks to boost its economy and revive the war effort.
The visit of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev was a sign of Iran’s growing importance as a supportive partner and arms supplier at a time when Moscow is isolated by Western sanctions and facing intense Ukrainian military pressure.
Interfax news agency said that with Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine in its ninth month, Raisi and Patrushev discussed “various issues of Russian-Iranian cooperation in the field of security and a number of international issues”.
Russian state media reported that Patrushev discussed the situation in Ukraine with his Iranian security counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, and measures to combat “Western interference” in the internal affairs of both countries.
NourNews, affiliated with Iran’s top security body, said Shamkhani called for deeper ties in various sectors, from energy to banking.
“Iran welcomes and supports any initiative to lead to a dialogic ceasefire and peace between Russia and Ukraine, and is ready to play a role in ending the war,” Shamkhani said. said.
Kyiv and the West say Russia has used Iranian Shahed-136 drones to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent weeks, forcing Ukraine to impose continuous cuts in major cities, including the capital, to maintain power.
Iran first acknowledged supplying drones to Moscow over the weekend, but said it only sent a small number of drones and were deployed before the war began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a lie.
In the international order, Russia has stepped up its efforts to forge economic, commercial and political ties with Iran and other non-Western countries since its invasion of Ukraine in February.
source: Noticias
