Putin Meets Iranian President, Ready to Do Everything to Help End the War

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Putin pledged to do everything he could to help end the war in the Middle East.

“We are ready to do everything in our power to contribute to resolving this situation,” Putin said ahead of a regional summit in Turkmenistan, the Central Asian country, AFP reported on Friday (9 October 2026).

Putin added that Iran had made “genuine efforts to end the war” since the US-Israeli attacks began on 28 February.

Putin noted a “positive evolution” in relations between Iran and Russia.

The two countries have strengthened their diplomatic and military ties since Russia launched its attack on Ukraine in February 2022, and have become increasingly dependent on one another.

The two leaders arrived on Thursday evening ahead of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit — a grouping of former Soviet countries — at the Avaza resort on the Caspian Sea.

The presidents last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan in September.

Ukraine and Western countries have accused Iran of supplying Russia with Shahed drones and short-range missiles for use in its military campaign.

Russia has been accused of providing targeting data to Iran for attacks on US interests in the Middle East.

The meeting took place as talks between Tehran and Washington appeared to have reached an impasse. Pezeshkian said this week that negotiations with Washington were “meaningless”.