Putin pledges to achieve peace in Middle East ‘as soon as possible’
Araghchi hails “strategic partnership” with Moscow as Tehran leans on allies amid stalled U.S. diplomacy
PETERSBURG, Russia (MNTV) — Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible, President Vladimir Putin said Monday during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Araghchi, for his part, said relations between Moscow and Tehran constitute a strategic partnership that will continue to strengthen.
State news agency TASS reported that Putin said at the outset of the meeting he had received a message last week from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He asked Araghchi to convey his “gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being.”
Putin said the Iranian people are fighting “courageously and heroically” for their sovereignty and expressed hope they would overcome “this difficult period of trials” and that peace would come.
He added that Moscow is ready to do everything in its power to ensure peace in the Middle East “is achieved as quickly as possible,” while stressing Russia intends to maintain its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said he was “very pleased” to meet Putin and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
He said the Iranian people have resisted U.S. pressure through their courage and “will continue to stand firm,” thanking Putin and Russia for their support of the Islamic Republic.
Araghchi described ties between Moscow and Tehran as a “strategic partnership at the highest level” that will continue to develop “regardless of circumstances.”
The visit capped Araghchi’s regional tour and underscored Tehran’s pivot toward key allies as diplomatic efforts with Washington falter amid an escalating Middle East conflict.
Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg early Monday and held meetings with Putin, reinforcing coordination between Tehran and Moscow at a time of heightened tensions with the United States and Israel. The visit marked the final leg of his outreach aimed at consolidating political and strategic backing from partner states.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the talks as highly significant given “how the situation around Iran and in the Middle East is developing.”
The meetings come as direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington remain stalled. U.S. President Donald Trump halted a planned diplomatic engagement over the weekend, signaling a pause in backchannel efforts and placing the onus on Iran to reinitiate contact.
Tehran has said meaningful dialogue is unlikely while U.S. military pressure — including a naval presence near Iranian waters — continues, alongside ongoing Israeli military activity in the region.
Russia has increasingly cast itself as a central diplomatic partner for Iran during the crisis, advocating for a negotiated settlement while deepening bilateral coordination. Araghchi’s meetings in St. Petersburg, which also included Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, are expected to shape a common approach to ceasefire efforts and broader crisis management.
The visit highlights a shifting diplomatic landscape as Iran looks eastward for support, even as prospects for renewed U.S.-Iran engagement remain uncertain.
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