Russian, Iranian presidents discuss ‘current issues on bilateral agenda’

ANKARA

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed “current issues on bilateral agenda” over phone, a Kremlin statement said Saturday.

“The leaders discussed a number of current issues on the bilateral agenda with an emphasis on the continued building up of interaction in politics, trade and the economy, including transport and logistics,” said the statement.

They agreed that the contacts between Russian and Iranian institutions will be increased, it added.

Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in recent weeks to carry out attacks in Ukraine, where it launched a “special military operation” in February.

Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian acknowledged that Tehran provided drones to Russia, but said they were sent before the outbreak of the Ukraine war.