Russia

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.

Kirill Semenov | Russia | Apr 16, 2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow on Dec. 30, 2019. The two met again in Tehran, Iran, on April 13, 2021.

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.

Kirill Semenov | Russia | Apr 14, 2021

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.

Kirill Semenov | Russia / Mideast | Mar 26, 2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and his Saudi counterpart Faisal Bin Farhan chat ahead of a joint press conference following their meeting in the capital Riyadh, on March 10, 2021.

The Takeaway: Israel: Deja vu, all over again

Netanyahu barely holds on, for now, with prospect of a fifth election. Elsewhere: Hezbollah in Moscow; Egypt’s matriarchal village; Turkey’s tanking stock market; GCC digs out of COVID debt; scrolls found in Israel’s "cave of horror"; and more!

Andrew Parasiliti, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Joe Snell | Russia | Mar 24, 2021

Likud party supporters wave flags bearing the party's leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as they react at their party campaign headquarters in Jerusalem on March 23, 2021

Russian foreign minister’s visit aimed at challenging US influence in Gulf

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar came amid uncertainty among these states about their future relations with the new US administration.

Kirill Semenov | Russia / Mideast | Mar 19, 2021

Sergey Lavrov, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Mevlut Cavusoglu

What's next for Russia’s relations with Hezbollah?

A Hezbollah delegation visits Moscow, with Lebanese politics and stability and Syria's political future atop the agenda.

Anton Mardasov | Russia | Mar 18, 2021

Russia launches air campaign against Islamic State in Syrian desert

Russian forces intensified their airstrikes against IS sites in Syria’s Badia with the aim of supporting the ground forces that failed to eliminate the organization or curb its spread.

Khaled al-Khateb | Syria | Mar 18, 2021

A Russian army helicopter, part of a patrol, flies over an oil field in the countryside of al-Qahtaniyah town in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province near the Turkish border, on Oct. 11, 2020.

Israel's foreign minister continues anti-ICC campaign in Russia

In his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi presented his stand against the International Criminal Court probe, a renewed Iran deal and the Iranian presence in Syria.

Rina Bassist | Israel | Mar 17, 2021

Iran’s supreme leader authorized infowar campaign during US election

Hezbollah and Russia also spread disinformation to try to influence the 2020 presidential election, a newly released US intelligence report says.

Al-Monitor Staff | Russia | Mar 16, 2021

Intel: US hinders Syria’s return ‘to normal,’ UAE foreign minister says

Flanked by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Abu Dhabi's top diplomat criticized the US-led campaign to economically isolate Syria under President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Monitor Staff | United Arab Emirates | Mar 9, 2021

Oil prices continue to rise as Saudi Arabia and Russia talk production

The price of Brent crude continued to increase above its pre-pandemic levels during the OPEC+ meeting Thursday.

Al-Monitor Staff | Gulf | Mar 4, 2021

Sudan welcomes US, Russian navy ships amid strategic competition

The rival powers are eyeing the fledgling democracy for a leg up on influence in East Africa

Jared Szuba | Russia | Mar 2, 2021

The Israel-Russia-Syria deal: Cost, beneficiaries and future deals

As Israel and Syria conclude a deal on the return of an Israeli woman from Syria, questions arise regarding the cost and what the future of such transactions with Russian mediation should be.

Micky Aharonson | Israel | Feb 25, 2021

This picture taken from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on February 4, 2021, shows the border fence with the Syrian governorate of Quneitra. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu’s friendship with Putin benefits Israel, but has limits

Moscow played a central role in the release of the Israeli woman who crossed the border into Syria, but might prove less helpful on Iranian entrenchment in Syria or the Palestinian issue.

Rina Bassist | Israel | Feb 23, 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 4, 2019. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AFP via Getty Images)

Does ‘Syrian trio’ of Russia, Iran and Turkey have a future?

There are signs that the Astana talks on the Syrian war — which began in 2017 and are sponsored by Moscow, Ankara and Tehran — have little prospect of making progress going forward.

Kirill Semenov | Syria | Feb 18, 2021

Russia

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.

Russian FM’s visit to Egypt helps counter Erdogan’s regional moves

US cooling could help Russia boost ties with Saudi Arabia

The Takeaway: Israel: Deja vu, all over again

Russian foreign minister’s visit aimed at challenging US influence in Gulf

What's next for Russia’s relations with Hezbollah?

Russia launches air campaign against Islamic State in Syrian desert

Israel's foreign minister continues anti-ICC campaign in Russia

Iran’s supreme leader authorized infowar campaign during US election

Intel: US hinders Syria’s return ‘to normal,’ UAE foreign minister says

Oil prices continue to rise as Saudi Arabia and Russia talk production

Sudan welcomes US, Russian navy ships amid strategic competition

The Israel-Russia-Syria deal: Cost, beneficiaries and future deals

Netanyahu’s friendship with Putin benefits Israel, but has limits

Does ‘Syrian trio’ of Russia, Iran and Turkey have a future?

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