Russian Officials Meet US Counterparts Over Allegations of Iranian Support

A delegation of Russian officials has arrived in the United States for meetings with their American counterparts, marking the first such trip since relations between the two countries strained over Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the visit is part of “necessary dialogue” with Washington. He added that President Vladimir Putin had set the main directives for the trip and would be thoroughly briefed on the meeting.

The visit comes as US-brokered talks seeking a deal to end the war in Ukraine are currently frozen. Several rounds of negotiations since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year have failed to break the deadlock, with the Kremlin ruling out compromises to halt its military operations.

Russia has been cited by Western intelligence officials as one of the backers of the Iranian government, which is engaged in a war launched by the US and Israel. A report in the Financial Times alleged that Russia was close to completing a shipment of drones to Iran. In response to questions about the report, Peskov stated that there are “many lies being spread by the media” and advised against paying attention to them.

Russia recently carried out one of the largest aerial attacks since the start of its war on Ukraine, launching 948 drones in 24 hours as it moved troops and equipment to the front line. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a new appeal for allies to supply Kyiv with air defence munitions, citing concerns about a potential deficit of missiles while Washington is focused on its own conflict with Iran.

Talks between Ukraine and the US that opened in Florida have again failed to produce a security guarantee sought by Kyiv.

Source: Al Jazeera