Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he may discuss the Iranian nuclear issue with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of a regional summit in Istanbul.
Putin is in Turkey for the third summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
"The Iranian president is here and we will meet within the framework of the conference," Putin said. "I think we will have a chance to discuss these issues if my colleague needs to," he continued.
International pressure on Iran increased in early February when Tehran announced it had begun enriching uranium to 20% in lieu of an agreement on an exchange that would provide it with fuel for a research reactor.
Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday Teheran will end all discussions over its nuclear program if the United Nations Security Council imposes new sanctions against Iran.
He added that a recent Brazil-Turkey-Iran deal on the exchange of Iranian low-enriched uranium for highly enriched uranium was the last chance for the West to reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.
On Monday the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Yukiya Amano described Iran as "a special case" because of its suspected nuclear weapons program.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that discussions by the Iran Six on a draft UN Security Council resolution to expand sanctions against Iran were almost complete. Voting is expected to take place on Wednesday.
ISTANBUL, June 8 (RIA Novosti)
