Russian delegation in Syria to preserve military bases: What to know Russian and Syrian military officials have held a series of reciprocal exchanges and visits in recent weeks, as the Kremlin continues to view Syria as a key military vantage point. Syria
Putin meets Iran’s top security official as Trump says Tehran wants deal President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran is seeking a nuclear deal but declined to specify a timeline for negotiations. Iran
UAE President meets Putin in Russia to discuss nuclear energy, trade, Iran The visit of Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed comes a day after the Kremlin hosted President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss the future of Russian military bases in Syria. Russia
Sharaa, Putin meet in Moscow after Russia's abrupt pullout from Syria base Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Moscow, his second in four months, comes days after Russia began withdrawing its forces and evacuating equipment from its military base in northeast Syria. Syria
Analysis Turkey rebuffs air-defense criticism after drone shot down near Ankara By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Intel: How Iranian influence operations are receiving new scrutiny in Washington The Senate is poised to follow the House lead in passing legislation to create a center to monitor Iranian, Russian, Chinese and North Korean efforts to sway US public opinion. Congress
Will Libya become Turkey’s next Syria? The recently signed Turkey-Libya military cooperation deal and maritime delimitation agreement threatened to raise tensions not only in Libya but throughout the Eastern Mediterranean with Turkey asserting the right to intervene militarily in Libya if requested and to drill for oil and gas. Turkey
Are Russia and Turkey in tug of war over Libya? Libya has emerged as a contested issue between Russia and Turkey. Turkey
Intel: Pentagon worried Turkey ‘spinning out’ of NATO orbit Defense Secretary Mark Esper told an audience at a New York think tank he was worried that Turkey is “spinning out” of the NATO orbit. Turkey
White House provides lifeline to US ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia Turkish and Saudi leaders look to Trump to prevent relations with the United States from going bad to worse. Saudi Arabia
Israelis from Russia: A voyage from atheism to religion Despite the secular campaign by Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman, and despite their atheist upbringing, a significant number of Jews who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union have become religious. Israel
Russia, US headed for new lows over terrorism, Syria Despite claims that the Russian foreign minister's visit to Washington was genial and productive, by the time Sergey Lavrov landed back in Moscow, some of the areas of potential cooperation had already grown more snarled. Syria
London summit exposes Turkey’s isolation, lack of clout in NATO Seasoned diplomats say despite Ankara’s tarnished image in the alliance, Turkey has confirmed its Western orientation. Syria
PA turns to Russia in a bid to break from US sponsorship As part of its efforts to economically disengage from Israel, the Palestinian Authority seeks to establish bilateral relations with Russia in the energy field. Palestine
Russia’s 'multilayered pie’ policy on Libya For all the uncertainty surrounding Russia's presence in Libya, there are some policy drivers to be watched. Turkey
Turkey’s Kurdish sweep backfires President Erdogan’s Syria plan has had unintended ramifications: Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now cozying up to the Kurds, the Kurds are uniting, and the Russians are guiding the solutions on the ground. Syria
Erdogan in NATO: Russia’s ‘Trojan horse’? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned from London to Ankara as a “loser” who failed to achieve anything at the NATO summit. Turkey
