Russian President Putin to receive Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan in Moscow on Tuesday

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that President Vladimir Putin will receive Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan when he arrives in Moscow later on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Peskov said after receiving the Turkish foreign minister around 06:00 Moscow time (1500 GMT), Fidan and Putin would hold a meeting.

"After 18:00 Moscow time, the President will receive Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan, who is on a working trip. Fidan has contacts at various levels in Moscow these days, (and will hold) negotiations. He will inform the head of state about the outcome of these negotiations," he said.

The spokesman added that the Russian-Turkish agenda is "very extensive," and there are many topics for discussion.

Regarding Washington’s latest “controversial” move, Peskov then condemned the US decision to lift a ban on weapons shipments to the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov battalion, which is made up of militants with radical far-right political views.

"Such a sudden change in Washington's position suggests they will stop at nothing to suppress Russia, using Ukraine and its people as tools," he said.

The Kremlin's comments came shortly after Washington lifted long-standing restrictions on transfers of weaponry, training, and other assistance to Azov, which the White House had formerly accused of having white supremacist views.

The US decision shows Washington is "willing to engage with neo-Nazis," validating Russia's concerns about "the creeping spread of neo-Nazi ideas worldwide," Peskov emphasized.

When asked about Russia-Belarus nuclear exercises, he said the West's aggressive stance against the two countries pushes them to maintain their armed forces in proper shape.

"The situation on the European continent is quite tense, fueled by new hostile decisions and actions from European capitals and Washington. Therefore, maintaining combat readiness through exercises is critical for us," he explained.

The spokesman also emphasized that the armed forces must maintain combat readiness at the proper level and conduct exercises.

Responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's accusation that Russia is attacking energy infrastructure, the spokesman said Moscow targets power lines related to military infrastructure.

To a question on the suspension of work on the comprehensive agreement between Russia and Iran reported earlier by Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov in an interview, Peskov claimed that the work continues, although the schedule may shift due to Tehran's preparations for the presidential elections.

"In general, the work continues. However, given the current period in Tehran with preparations for the presidential elections, the schedule is slightly shifting. Elections are usually followed by possible personnel changes," he noted.

Commenting on media reports claiming French President Emmanuel Macron may resign if far-right forces win the parliamentary elections, Peskov said: "We must first wait for the elections and then try to analyze the situation."

He also noted that Macron's party is rapidly losing its position: "Apparently, this indicates that the French people are dissatisfied with the current president's course.”