During a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would remain a staunch ally of Tehran and praised the Iranian people in the face of the war, according to Al Jazeera.

“We see how courageously and ‌heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence and sovereignty,” Putin is reported to have told Araghchi. “We will do everything that serves your interests, the interests of all the people of the region, so that peace can be achieved as soon as possible.”