Saudi crown prince meets Russia's Lavrov at GCC meetings in Riyadh Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of GCC ministerial meetings in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Palestinian President Abbas meets Erdogan ahead of speech to Turkey's parliament Abbas’ visit to Turkey comes at a critical time as it remains unclear how relations between the Palestinian Authority and its rival, Hamas, will evolve under Yahya Sinwar's leadership. Turkey
Attacks on churches, synagogues in Russia’s Dagestan: What we know The incident follows a major ISIS attack in Moscow in March. Russia
Putin meets Fidan, 'fully supports' Turkey’s aspirations in BRICS The first bilateral meeting between Putin and Fidan saw the Russian leader embrace Ankara's interest in joining the BRICS as a counterweight to the West. Turkey
Kremlin's vaccine diplomacy finds trouble in Middle East Deliveries of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine are as controversial as the vaccine itself. Russia
Confrontation between US, pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq poses challenges for Russia While Moscow does not yet have the resources to eliminate Iranian influence in Syria, it would be in its interests to at least prevent the expansion of the activities of pro-Iranian paramilitary structures. Syria
Iran to acquire Russian high-resolution recon satellite Russia is set to give Iran a satellite that could spy on Tehran's potential military targets. Russia
Russia looks for way back into Yemen Moscow appears to be making some tentative steps for a deeper engagement in the Yemen war. Russia
US cranks up diplomacy with Russia to keep Syria’s last humanitarian aid corridor open The fate of millions of Syrians hangs in the balance as Russia threatens to shut a crossing vital to humanitarian aid. Syria
Will Syria come up in Biden-Putin summit? US pressing to maintain humanitarian corridors into Syria; Erdogan’s issues with US Syria policy; UN envoy refers to Syria’s "tragic irony." Russia
Russia reveals deployment of nuclear-capable bombers to Syria airbase Moscow has reportedly landed Tupolev Tu-22 bombers at Syria's Hmeimim Air Base for the first time. Syria
Moscow looks to expand role in Mideast peace process Official Russian statements on the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas indicate Moscow is looking for a larger diplomatic role. Russia
Turkish-Russian ties marked more by rivalry than cooperation today President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believed Russia would provide him leverage against the United States and Europe after Turkey’s ties with the West took a nosedive. Turkey
Taliban, Assad continue to unite Russia, Iran While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed ways to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal in his visit to Tehran this week, the topics of Syria and Afghanistan also featured prominently on the agenda. Russia
Russian FM’s visit to Egypt helps counter Erdogan’s regional moves Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Cairo is seen as a further cementing of increasing Russian-Egyptian ties and as a counterpoint to the Ukrainian president's visit to Turkey. Russia
US cooling could help Russia boost ties with Saudi Arabia While Moscow realizes that it cannot replace the US role in the region, it’s hoping a cooling of ties between Washington and Riyadh will help bolster its own influence. Russia / Mideast