Russian State Television reported on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit two small former Soviet states in Central Asia this week, making it his first known trip abroad since the Russian leader ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

The February 24 invasion has already killed thousands, displaced millions and led to serious financial sanctions from the West; Putin says this is a reason to build stronger trade relations with other powers such as China, India and Iran.

State television Rossiya 1’s Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin said that Putin will visit Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and then meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to meet in Moscow.

In Dushanbe, Putin will meet with Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon, a close ally of Russia and the longest-serving ruler of a former Soviet state. Zarubin said he will attend the summit of Caspian countries in Ashgabat, including the leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan.

Putin’s last known trip outside of Russia was in Beijing in early February, when he and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an “unlimited” friendship agreement hours before they attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. winter.