Vladimir Putin has arrived in Uzbekistan ahead of formal talks on Monday.
The Russian president laid a wreath at a monument to Uzbekistan's independence in the capital, Tashkent.
He is expected to hold formal talks with President Shavkay Mirziyoyev that are expected to focus on deepening the countries' relations.
The pair spoke in what were described by the Kremlin as informal talks on Sunday.
The visit is President Putin's third foreign trip since being inaugurated for a fifth term in May.
He first went to China , where he expressed appreciation for China's proposals for talks to end the Ukraine conflict, and later to Belarus.
For context: Now separated from Russia by Kazakhstan in central Asia, Uzbekistan was once part of the Soviet Union.
However, the invasion of Ukraine is believed to have accelerated a process of reducing Russian influence in the country.
In the two-plus years since February 2022, Uzbekistan has also boosted its relations with the EU.