Putin tells Pezeshkian he will 'do everything' to help end war

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Thursday and promised to "do everything" to help end the war in the Middle East. "We are ready to do everything that is in our power to contribute to the settlement of this situation," Putin said, adding that Iran had made "real efforts to end the war" since US-Israeli attacks began on 28 February. Putin also noted the "positive evolution" in relations between Iran and Russia. Why Russia remains stubbornly insignificant to the Middle East Read More » Both leaders arrived on Thursday evening ahead of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations, in the resort of Avaza on Turkmenistan's Caspian Sea coast. Pezeshkian is attending the summit as a special guest. The meeting came in the same week that the Iranian leader said negotiations with Washington were "meaningless". Masoud Pezeshkian and Vladimir Putin meet in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, 8 October 2026 (Sergey Bobylev/Reuters)