Russian president Vladimir Putin was on Thursday due to meet former Italian centre-left prime minister Romano Prodi in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Interfax news agency reported.
Prodi is on a "private visit" to Russia "and in a sign of friendship, Putin will meet Prodi and speak briefly with him," Interfax cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Prodi served twice Italy's premier - from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998, and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008.
A former economist, Prodi was also the president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004.
