Russia intends to sign new agreement with Iran soon

"We expect that this agreement will be signed in the very near future, since work on the text is already close to completion. All the necessary wording has been found," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Earlier in June, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that work on the agreement had been temporarily suspended, while Iran said there was no break in the preparation of the new pact.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, in 2001, Russia and Iran signed a 20-year strategic agreement, which was automatically extended in 2020 for five years. The two sides also agreed to work on a new pact in 2020 to replace the old document.

According to the text published on the Kremlin's website, the 2001 pact provided for, among other things, cooperation in the field of security, and energy projects, including the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the construction of nuclear power plants, industry, and technology.

So far, there are very few details about what the new agreement will include. After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and sanctions were imposed on Moscow by Kyiv's allies, Russia and Iran strengthened investment, military, and energy ties.

With Tehran supporting Moscow, Ukrainians perceive Iran as a hostile country. According to a survey by the Razumkov Center, Ukrainians have a predominantly negative attitude toward six countries. Ukrainians have the worst attitude towards Russia (-93%) and its allies - Belarus (-80%), Iran (-72%) and China (-54%).