Vladimir Putin has seldom left Russia since invading Ukraine
(Picture: AP)Vladimir Putin will meet the leaders of Iran and Turkey in just his second foreign trip since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Russian president will meet Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Iran on Tuesday to discuss conflicts and grain exports.
The three countries are working together to try to reduce the violence in Syria despite supporting opposing sides in the war. Russia and Iran support Syrian president Bashar al-Assad while Turkey backs anti-Assad insurgents.
Mr Erdogan has threatened to launch another operation in northern Syria, which Tehran and Moscow oppose. In Tehran, Mr Putin and Mr Erdogan will meet to discuss a deal aimed at resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports.
The spectre of an emerging US-backed Arab-Israeli bloc that could tilt the Middle East balance of power further away from Iran has accelerated its clerical rulers' efforts to strengthen strategic ties with the Kremlin.
"Considering the evolving geopolitical ties after the Ukraine war, the establishment tries to secure Moscow's support in Tehran's confrontation with Washington and its regional allies," a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named, told reporters.
Sending a clear message to the west that Russia will seek to boost ties with anti-west Iran, Mr Putin’s visit comes just a few days after Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia.
