Putin offers Russian support to end Middle East war after talks with Pezeshkian

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to do everything within Russia’s power to help end the Middle East war, during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan on Thursday (8 October).

The meeting took place in Avaza, a Caspian Sea resort, ahead of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet republics. The leaders discussed the conflict and bilateral relations, according to statements reported by Russian and Iranian state media.

“We are ready to do everything that is in our power to contribute to the settlement of this situation,” Putin said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.

Putin said Iran had made efforts to end the conflict and had put forward new proposals for a peaceful resolution. He described relations between Moscow and Tehran as developing positively.

The meeting did not produce a publicly announced agreement to end the war. It came as diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States remained uncertain.

Putin says Iran has proposed a peaceful resolution

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Putin said the situation in the Middle East was a pressing issue and that Russia was prepared to support efforts to resolve it.

“We know that Iran is making concrete efforts to end the conflict that broke out in the region through no fault of its own,” he said, according to remarks published by Russia’s Foreign Ministry. Putin added that Iran had again presented new proposals to resolve the situation through peaceful means.

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Pezeshkian briefed Putin on Tehran’s diplomatic efforts and the state of negotiations with Washington.

The two leaders had also spoken by telephone on Wednesday (7 October). According to IRNA, Putin told Pezeshkian that Moscow supported efforts by countries seeking to mediate and reduce tensions and was ready to provide assistance.

Pezeshkian calls for a framework to end the war

Pezeshkian said Tehran wanted a framework that would bring the conflict to an end, while criticising the United States’ approach to negotiations.

Iranian state media quoted him as saying that talks with Washington had become difficult because of repeated attacks and what he described as Washington’s attempts to impose its policies on other countries.

“We are engaged in dialogue, but every time we negotiate with the United States, they attack again,” he said, according to reports of the meeting.

Pezeshkian also accused Washington of pursuing a unilateral approach, saying that a resolution would not be possible if the United States continued to insist on imposing its views.

The Iranian president had said earlier in the week that negotiations with Washington were “meaningless”. However, reports on the meeting indicated that Tehran had exchanged new proposals with the United States aimed at ending the war.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington was holding “productive discussions” with Iran. He also said the United States would not resume attacks on Iran before the US midterm elections on 3 November.

The statements did not establish whether the two sides had reached agreement on the terms of a settlement.

Russia and Iran strengthen ties

The meeting also covered relations between Moscow and Tehran, which have expanded their diplomatic and economic cooperation amid extensive Western sanctions on both countries.

Putin said bilateral relations were developing positively under a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed in January 2025. He said trade between the two countries grew by more than 21 per cent in 2025, with the trend continuing during the first seven months of 2026, according to remarks published by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

The two presidents last met on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan in September.

Russia and Iran have expanded cooperation since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine and Western governments have accused Iran of supplying Russia with Shahed drones and short-range missiles for use in the war. Tehran and Moscow have developed closer military and diplomatic ties, although the precise scope of their cooperation has been disputed.

Russia has also been accused of supplying information to Iran for attacks on US targets in the Middle East. Moscow has not publicly acknowledged providing such targeting assistance.

CIS summit brings regional leaders to Turkmenistan

Putin and Pezeshkian travelled to Turkmenistan for regional meetings beginning on Friday (9 October), including the CIS summit.

The organisation brings together several former Soviet republics and provides a forum for political and economic coordination. Iran is not a member of the CIS, but Pezeshkian was also attending regional events in Turkmenistan.

The meeting between the Russian and Iranian presidents came as diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East conflict continued, alongside separate negotiations over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

For now, Putin’s offer to assist Tehran remains a stated willingness to support a settlement. No specific Russian mediation plan or agreement reached during Thursday’s meeting was publicly announced.