Putin wants “new world order,” invites Iranian President to Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that he wants to create a “new world order” and invited Iranian President to Moscow.

Putin held a meeting with Iran’s president on Friday, a significant encounter given Tehran’s ongoing role in supplying weapons to bolster Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine. The summit also took place against a backdrop of mounting tensions between Israel and Iran, along with concerns about escalating confrontations between Iran and its militant proxies.

Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks on the sidelines of an international forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where they discussed ongoing developments in the Middle East, according to Russian state media. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Tehran inked a $1.7 billion agreement for Iran to supply drones to bolster Russia’s military efforts. U.S. officials also believe that Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia as part of their growing defense cooperation.

This week, MI5 chief Ken McCallum accused both Russia and Iran of a “staggering” increase in assassination attempts, sabotage, and other criminal activities within the U.K. McCallum revealed that since 2022, British intelligence and police have thwarted 20 “potentially lethal” plots linked to Iran. He also warned that if tensions in the Middle East escalate, Iran may expand its targets in the U.K.

During their meeting, Putin remarked that Moscow and Tehran frequently share similar views on global affairs, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Putin extended an invitation to Pezeshkian to visit Russia, which Pezeshkian accepted, Tass reported.

In a video provided by the Kremlin, Putin called for the formation of a “new world order” made up of Moscow’s allies to challenge Western influence.

The forum has drawn several regional leaders, including Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, along with the heads of Central Asian nations such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Putin is also scheduled to meet with Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdymukhamedov for bilateral talks during the forum. Berdymukhamedov took office in March 2022, succeeding his father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who had governed the energy-rich nation of Turkmenistan since 2006.

Since gaining independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Turkmenistan has remained largely isolated under a series of autocratic leaders.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brought a “victory plan” to Western allies, amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. On Thursday, Zelensky arrived to 10 Downing Street in London to meet with officials from Britain and NATO, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Zelensky later traveled to Paris on Thursday to meet with President Emmanuel Macron.

Though the full details of Zelensky’s “victory plan” have not been made public yet, he said after his meeting in the U.K. that the plan “aims to create the right conditions for a just end to the war” against Russia.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press