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Conflict in Syria

Putin, Saudi Arabia king discuss Syria crisis — Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud held a phone conversation and called for resolving the crisis in Syria

Damaged buildings in Homs, Syria AP Photo

Damaged buildings in Homs, Syria

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in a phone conversation called for resolving the crisis in Syria, the Kremlin press service said on Friday.

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"During the conversation, interest was shown in resolving the crisis in Syria, ensuring stability and security in the entire Middle East region and Northern Africa," the press service said.

Putin confirmed the invitation for Saudi Arabia's king to "visit Russia any convenient time."

The leaders congratulated each other on the 90th anniversary marking the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. "Mutual intention was expressed to further build up the Russian-Saudi cooperation in all the areas," the Kremlin stressed.

"Everyone, including Russia, is interested in preserving the territorial and political integrity of all countries in the region, including Syria," Peskov said.

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He added that "everyone, including (Russian President Vladimir) Putin proceed from the assumption that there is no alternative to a political solution of the problem." "At the same time, I will remind Putin’s statement from the day before yesterday saying that it is necessary to defeat terrorists in order to resolve the crisis," he noted.

Russian envoy to the United Nations Organization Vitaly Churkin said earlier that if the Syrian authorities do not agree to a ceasefire, this can result in the fact that the armed conflict in the country will last "very, very long."

"If the Syrian authorities, despite the internal political situation and the propaganda policy which they need to pursue, follow Russia’s lead in resolving this crisis, they will have a chance to get out of the crisis with dignity," Churkin said. ""If somehow they stray from this path - and again this is my personal assessment - a very difficult situation could emerge, including for themselves. Whatever capabilities the Syrian army has, the effective operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces made it possible for it to hurl the enemy back from Damascus," he added.

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Foreign policy Syrian conflict

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Sounds in Isfahan due to air defense work to repel attacks by suspicious objects — general

According to Iranian media reports, three drones were downed by air defenses in the skies over the city of Isfahan

Iran says drones downed over Isfahan launched from country's territory

"A failed attack with a few quadcopters that were shot down cannot be considered a real attack anywhere in the world," a spokesman for Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace said

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"This is a plan of extremist government", Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN Riyad Mansour said

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Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport suspended their operations until 10:30 a.m. local time

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Russia can join top three countries by lithium reserves — governor

Infrastructure is required to implement the investment project, both power transmission lines and the railroad, Andrey Chibis noted

US blocks Security Council resolution granting full UN membership to Palestine

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Germany moves to exclude Russia from concentration camp liberation celebrations

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Ukraine convicts 12th world chess champion for recognizing Donetsk, Lugansk republics

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Final statement by G7 top diplomats to call for supplying more air defenses to Kiev

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister said Kiev required US-made Patriot systems and Italian-French Samp-T theatre antimissile systems

Israeli Air Force attacks airfield in southern Syria during strike on Iran

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UN Security Council vote exposes practically full isolation of US — Russia’s UN mission

Vasily Nebenzya described the US veto as a "fruitless attempt to stop the inexorable course of history"

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Russian Aerospace Forces strike five militant hideouts in Syria’s Homs

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A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the reports of the strike

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Ukrainian trace obvious in Crocus City Hall attack — Russian prosecutor general

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Wang Wen stated that it’s still very hard to achieve a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Ukrainian president admits Russian troops’ advancement

Vladimir Zelensky asked his country’s supporters to provide "everything that helps to hold the frontline," including shells, military vehicles and drones

CIA chief says Ukraine could lose by end of this year — Politico

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Russia, Iran maintain contacts on nuclear security - deputy foreign minister

Sergey Ryabkov said that "very soon, Russia and Iran will have new additional opportunities to discuss the situation in the Middle East in general, as well as details of what is going on there at this point"

Palestine’s full UN membership more urgent now than ever before — China’s envoy

Fu Cong denied claims that direct talks with Israel are a vital precondition for Palestine’s UN membership

Yerevan's refusal to delimit borders with Baku to escalate regional tensions — PM

Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that the demarcation process also involves risks, but they are manageable, after which "Armenia will become ten times stronger"

Crimea, Donbass to forever remain within Russia, Slovak PM tells national parliament

Robert Fico believes Moscow will win in its confrontation with Kiev

US names lack of reforms as reason to block Palestinian membership resolution

US deputy envoy Robert Wood also noted that "Hamas - a terrorist organization - is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution"

Three Ukrainian soldiers swim across Dnieper to surrender to Russian troops — governor

Vladimir Saldo called on other Ukrainian servicemen to switch to the Russian side and request the corresponding assistance

Iran suspends flights above several cities amid reports of air attack — IRNA

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Founder of neo-Nazi cell in Crimea flees to Georgia — source

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The agency said it and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine informed their Polish counterparts about the alleged assassination attempt

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West, Kiev indulge in nuclear blackmail by demanding control of ZNPP — Russian MFA

"Without noticing it themselves, they spoke the language of an ultimatum," Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova underlined

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Palestinian president says US veto immoral, runs counter to global community’s will

In Mahmoud Abbas' opinion, Washington’s foreign policy constitutes "an outrageous aggression against the international law"

Kiev continues to openly announce terrorist attacks on Russia — diplomat

Maria Zakharova also pointed to the fact that Ukraine's special services do not give up attempts to "massacre their former compatriots"

Russian forces destroy Ukrainian command post, two S-300 missile launchers over day

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French, US, British nukes all interwoven — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova described France’s decision to place its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, directly under NATO control as a symbolic move marking the end of "the era of an independent Paris in the international arena"

Shoigu orders additional tank protection sets for Ukraine operation

The minister also inspected the training process in Omsk Armor Engineering Institute

Russia’s defense chief inspects production of tanks, flamethrowers at Siberian enterprise

Sergey Shoigu handed down an instruction for the defense enterprise to ramp up the production of T-80BVM tanks, the Defense Ministry said