BLOOMBERG Russian President Vladimir Putin began talks with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Moscow on Wednesday as the Kremlin steps up efforts to restore ties between Turkey and Syria. Putin said he planned to discuss “all important aspects of cooperation” with Assad, who thanked the Russian leader for backing Syrian demands for the pullout of all foreign forces and expressed ...

BLOOMBERG A Russian fighter jet collided with a US surveillance drone in international airspace above the Black Sea, causing the American aircraft to crash, the Pentagon said. Russia’s defense ministry denied the US claim, saying its jets didn’t come into contact with the drone, according to a statement posted on Telegram. The statement said the drone’s transponders were off, and ...

BLOOMBERG Ex-Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating condemned the center-left Labor government’s deal with the US and UK to obtain nuclear submarines, saying the nation’s military sovereignty was being surrendered to the “whim and caprice” of Washington. A former Labour party leader, Keating served as prime minister from 1991 to 1996, during which he sought to loosen Australia’s bonds with the ...