The Kremlin said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Tehran next week for a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, the so-called Astana format of meetings for Syria-related talks, AP reports.
Driving the news: The White House said Monday that Iran is providing Russia with "hundreds" of unmanned aerial vehicles — including weapons-capable drones for use in Ukraine.
- National security adviser Jake Sullivan said it's unclear whether Iran has already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia. But the U.S. believes Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.
- The move is "one example of how Russia is looking to countries like Iran for capabilities that ... have been used before we got the ceasefire in place in Yemen, to attack Saudi Arabia," Sullivan noted.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Putin would also meet separately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while in Tehran.
What's next: President Biden leaves Tuesday for a trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Iran's nuclear program will be a big topic.
