Putin to embark on first foreign trip to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan since Russian invasion

In a first after Russia launched its so-called military operation in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit former Soviet states in Central Asia -- Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan on June 29. Citing Rossiya 1 state television, RIA Novosti, reported that the Russian head will attend the Caspian Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in person. It was also confirmed by Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday, according to the TASS News agency. "He plans to," Peskov said when asked whether Putin planned to attend the summit. However, the spokesperson had declined to comment on whether Putin would hold any bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. "We will let you know," he said.

While reacting to the reports of Putin's in-person visit to two central Asian countries, Pavel Zarubin, a correspondent of Rossiya 1 state television station, who had recently interviewed the President, also confirmed the Kreamlin leader's visit to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. 

The major development came as President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, during his visit to Moscow this month, had invited his Russian counterpart to visit Ashgabat. The Russian leader accepted the invitation. Besides, Putin is also scheduled to meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the Kremlin this week.

Further, the Russian news agency claimed that Putin is also planning to visit Grodno-- a city in western Belarus, near the Polish and Lithuanian borders. Reportedly, he will visit Belarus city on June 30 and July 1, and is expected to meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Putin's first foreign trip came amid rumours of his poor health

This will be the first foreign trip of President Putin since he last visited China and attended the Olympics in February during the speculations of his ill-intention to invade his neighbouring country. However, during his trip to Beijing, Putin and the Kremlin had refuted such claims. Later, on February 24, he formally launched a full-scale invasion of Kyiv, resulting in the killing of thousands of Ukrainians. Since the onset of the invasion, it has also been reported that Putin has been experiencing poor health. On several occasions, videos of recent public appearances showcased Putin exhibiting signs of some form of neurological or physiological condition. Multiple media also reported this as the possible reason for Putin avoiding any foreign trips. However, the Kremlin denied the reports and termed them as "rumours", stating that Putin is attending meetings as well as delivering key speeches at various events.

Image: Kremlin