Putin to meet Iran's Pezeshkian on October 9 in Turkmenistan
In short
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said President Vladimir Putin will hold a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on October 9 in Turkmenistan, after the other events of Putin's trip. Ushakov said the two leaders would discuss bilateral cooperation and what he called the acute situation in the Middle East. Putin's visit on October 8-9 includes a CIS heads-of-state meeting and a Caspian ecological summit.
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President Vladimir Putin will hold a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on October 9 in Turkmenistan, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. Ushakov said the meeting would take place after the completion of all other events on Putin's schedule, and that the two leaders would discuss bilateral cooperation and “the acute situation in the Middle East region”, according to Interfax. TASS, RIA Novosti and RBC also reported the planned meeting, with several of the accounts citing Ushakov. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Ushakov said Putin's visit to Turkmenistan is set for October 8-9. During the trip the Russian president is to take part in a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State and in a Caspian ecological summit, Ushakov said, noting that bilateral meetings are normally held on the margins of large international events. [ 2 ]
On October 8, before the events begin, Putin is to hold a one-on-one meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Ushakov said. The Kremlin aide did not rule out other, more informal meetings with CIS leaders, saying such contacts could happen “on the move” or at the table and that the leaders would arrange them as the two summits proceed. [ 2 ]
Asked whether Putin planned to meet Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Ushakov said no, while adding that contact during the events could not be excluded, Interfax reported. Ushakov also said Putin and Pezeshkian had met in September and had now agreed to meet again. [ 2 ]
The reports did not name the city in Turkmenistan where the Putin-Pezeshkian meeting will be held, and none of the documents specified which recent developments Ushakov's reference to the Middle East situation concerned. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The meeting puts the Russian and Iranian presidents in the same venue days after their September contact, with the Middle East on the stated agenda. It also places the talks alongside Putin's broader schedule of CIS and Caspian events, giving Moscow a platform for several bilateral contacts in one trip.
Key facts
- Ushakov said Putin will meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on October 9 in Turkmenistan. [ 2 , 5 ]
- The meeting is to be held after the completion of the other events of Putin's trip, Ushakov said. [ 2 ]
- The agenda is to include bilateral cooperation and the situation in the Middle East, according to Ushakov. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Putin's visit to Turkmenistan is scheduled for October 8-9, 2026. [ 2 ]
- The programme includes a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State and a Caspian ecological summit, Ushakov said. [ 2 ]
- Putin is to meet Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov one-on-one on October 8, before the events begin. [ 2 ]
- Ushakov said no meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is planned, though contact during the events could not be excluded. [ 2 ]
- Ushakov said Putin and Pezeshkian met in September and agreed to meet again. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Which city in Turkmenistan will host the meeting. None of the documents names a city; the reports say only Turkmenistan or refer to a summit there.
- What specific developments the “acute situation in the Middle East” refers to. The documents use the phrase without specifying events or countries.
- Whether Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will have any contact. Ushakov said no meeting is planned but added that contact during the events cannot be excluded.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports that Putin and Pezeshkian will discuss the Middle East situation in Turkmenistan. [ 1 ]
- Interfax reports, citing Ushakov, that the meeting is set for October 9 and details the trip programme. [ 2 ]
- TASS reports the meeting and its Middle East agenda. [ 3 , 4 ]
- RBC reports Ushakov's announcement of the October 9 meeting. [ 5 ]
- RIA Novosti reports the meeting will take place at the summit in Turkmenistan. [ 6 ]