Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) attend a welcoming ceremony onboard guided missile cruiser Moskva at the Black Sea port of Sochi, August 12, 2014. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR4260Q

What's behind Russia's Mideast strategy?

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) attend a welcoming ceremony onboard guided missile cruiser Moskva at the Black Sea port of Sochi, August 12, 2014. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR4260Q

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