Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Ankara, on April 4, 2018. (AFP PHOTO)
MOSCOW, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal with the head of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as with the leaders of Germany and France, the Kremlin said Friday.
Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian media that the Russian president will meet IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday.
"Given the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iranian deal, this meeting is of great significance, and everyone understands that," Ushakov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.
The meeting with Merkel will also take place in Sochi on May 18, he said.
Putin and Macron are scheduled to have meetings on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to be held in Russia's second-largest city of St. Petersburg on May 24-25, Ushakov said.
Russia considers the U.S. decision to withdraw from the deal "hasty and erroneous" and is making efforts to ensure that the agreement does not fall apart, he said.
Moscow also hopes that Iran will continue to fulfill the terms of the nuclear deal and it is working to ensure that Tehran does not take "rash steps," he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, and impose "the highest level" of economic sanctions on Tehran, triggering global outcry.
The landmark nuclear pact was signed in 2015 by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus the European Union (EU) and Germany.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini is scheduled to host the talks between the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday in Brussels, her office said in a statement Friday.
