MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in the Kremlin. As he opened the talks, the Russian leader told his Iranian counterpart he was ready for a stopover in Iran on Wednesday, thus extending his Middle East tour and holding a meeting ahead of time.

"Dear Mr. President, I am very glad to see you in Moscow. Yesterday, you know, I was there in the neighboring region. I was flying directly over the territory of your country to my colleagues and at a certain point I had an idea of landing in Tehran for a meeting right away. But I was told: ‘The president is almost on the way to Moscow," Putin said with a laugh. Raisi responded with a friendly smile and told Putin that the Russian leader's plane would certainly have been welcomed in Tehran.

On December 6, Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.