Putin visits Iran in rare international trip

BBC News:-

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish and Iranian leaders in Tehran on Tuesday – only his second foreign trip since he launched the invasion of Ukraine in February.

Unblocking Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea was high on the agenda – Mr Putin said progress had been made.

The civil war in Syria was also discussed, with Turkey and Russia historically backing opposing sides.

The summit was a chance for Mr Putin to show he still has international allies.

Speaking after his meeting with the Russian president, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran and Moscow should strengthen their ties, and suggested that the West was to blame for the war in Ukraine.

“If you did not take the initiative, the other side would have caused the war with its own initiative,” Mr Khamenei told Mr Putin.

The US said the Russian leader’s visit to Iran showed how isolated Russia has become in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.