President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly met with Ali Larijani, the leading advisor to Iran’s supreme leader on nuclear matters, to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program at the Kremlin on Sunday.

Russia maintains a friendly relationship with Iran’s clerical establishment and offers significant support to Tehran; however, it has not fully aligned itself with its ally despite the United States joining Israel’s extensive bombing campaign against Iran in June.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Larijani presented evaluations regarding the worsening circumstances in the Middle East and the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program during the unannounced meeting.

Putin reiterated Russia’s established views on how to achieve stability in the region and resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, Peskov added.

In a related development, a German diplomatic source informed AFP on Sunday that the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are set to engage in renewed discussions with Iran regarding its nuclear activities in the upcoming days.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported that Tehran has consented to enter talks with the three European nations, citing an anonymous source.

Last week, Russia criticized a report from the U.S. news outlet Axios, which referenced anonymous sources claiming that Putin had “urged” Iran to agree to a deal with the U.S. that would hinder the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment.

Iran has consistently asserted that it does not seek nuclear weapons, while affirming its “legitimate rights” to utilize nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.