Tehran: In response to Western pressure on the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian President met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. According to a White House official, US intelligence indicates that Russia is preparing to capture Moscow-controlled territory in Ukraine.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared that the West opposes a "free and strong" Russia, which helped Russian President Vladimir Putin win Iran's unwavering support for his country's military operation in Ukraine. As both Moscow and Tehran deal with Western sanctions, Khamenei said that if Russia had not sent troops to Ukraine, it would later be subject to NATO attack. The statement also echoed Putin's own rhetoric.
On 24 February, in what it called a "special military operation", Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine to defend its security. To help protect Ukraine from Russian attack, NATO allies have increased their military presence and weapons in Eastern Europe.
Khamenei told Putin on Tuesday, "If the road was open to NATO, it would not recognize any border or borders." To gain control of the Crimean peninsula, which Russia took from Ukraine in 2014.
Putin met with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on only his second foreign visit since Russia launched a military operation in February to discuss the conflict in Syria. He also used the visit to discuss a UN-backed plan to restart Ukrainian grain exports to help with the world food crisis.
Putin's meeting with Erdogan was his first one-on-one encounter with a NATO chief since a Russian military offensive, and it gave the West a clear view of Moscow's intentions to forge closer strategic ties with Iran, China and India. served as a warning. Resist Western sanctions.
After his visit to Iran, Putin made televised remarks to reporters in which he said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had offered to mediate disputes between Russia and Ukraine.
Asked about a possible meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin said Kyiv had broken the terms of the initial peace deal, which he claimed "practically achieved" in March. He did not elaborate.
“Of course, the will of the contracting parties to fulfill the agreements that were reached will determine the final result. Today, it is clear that this desire is lacking in the authorities of Kyiv.
Both sides made proposals during the March talks, but no progress was made. Zelensky insisted that at that time only a concrete result could be relied upon from the talks.
The Ukrainian government did not immediately respond to Putin's comments.
The White House in Washington claimed that as part of its efforts to exert full control over its gains in the East, Russia was laying the groundwork for annexation of Ukrainian territory and installing illegitimate proxy officials in those territories.
The head of the National Security Council's press office, John Kirby, revealed he claimed to be US intelligence when he claimed that Russia was trying to remove legitimate leaders, make the ruble the standard currency, and force citizens to apply for citizenship. was getting ready.
In direct violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, Kirby said, "We have information today, including downgraded intelligence that we have been able to share with you, about how Russia is controlling Ukrainian territory." laying the groundwork for.
According to Kirby, the same strategy was employed in 2014 when Russia announced annexation of Crimea after seizing control from Ukraine. The annexation of Crimea is considered illegal by the international community.
Ukraine plans to attack Crimea
