Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a visit to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.

Putin is making his first known trip abroad since the start of what Moscow calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

He is expected to meet Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon in Dushanbe later on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would return to Moscow on Wednesday evening.