“Isolated” Vladimir Putin is set to travel to Iran in a bid to shore up support following the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian president will visit Tehran next Tuesday to attend a meeting with the leaders of Iran and Turkey, the Kremlin said.
On Tuesday Western sources said Putin had become “increasingly isolated” over the war in Ukraine and was desperate to build up world allies.
Iran has in recent weeks been forced to slash the price of its crude oil to compete with Moscow’s steep discounts to China.
Western sources suggested it was within Mr Putin’s interests for oil prices to be “very high” and this could form a basis for talks while he is in the Tehran.
They added that “Putin will be prepared to continue” with his devastating invasion “despite the huge cost to Russia and Ukraine”.
The trip comes after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday that Iran could supply hundreds of surveillance drones, including weapons-capable ones, to Russia.
Mr Sullivan added that intelligence shows Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use the drones.
It comes as Mr Putin was accused of targeting the poorest areas of Russia to recruit soldiers for his battered army, amid speculation he could even be using prisoners to fight in Ukraine.
The Russian leader’s “private army” is having difficulty replacing killed or wounded troops, British defence chiefs said on Tuesday.
They believe that at least 20,000 of the Russian president’s military personnel have died since he launched his invasion on February 24.
Three to four times as many Russian soldiers are estimated to have been wounded or incapacitated, with Ukrainian forces also suffering heavy losses.
To make up a shortfall of soldiers, Mr Putin has raised the maximum age of recruitment and is “trying to expand the pool in all sorts of different ways to avoid a widespread call to arms”, Western sources said.
They added: “What they have done is focus on active recruitment, particularly in the poorer regions. They have stayed away from the big cities.”
