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Russia shows no signs of ditching Iran over Syria

Turkey rallies jihadi armed groups to its side in Idlib; Lebanon backs Russian plan for Syrian refugees.
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Bolton-Patrushev talks stumble on Iran

We wrote in this column more than a year ago, "Russia welcomes and needs US partnership in stabilizing Syria" while also saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin's "leverage with Damascus, Tehran and Ankara could be weakened, rather than strengthened, by closer ties with the United States. … Putin’s endgame is relief from US-led sanctions. If no sanctions relief is forthcoming, Putin will have little interest in carrying Trump’s water at the expense of his regional ties."

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