Sergey Lavrov

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov by phone on Monday to inform him of Pristina's intent of banning Srpska lista from running in the upcoming elections in Serbia's Kosovo-Metohija province.

An unknown aspect of how Bashar al-Assad fled Syria to Russia when the rebels reached Damascus was presented by a columnist for the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, who claims that the Syrian politician gave Israel details of his country’s military targets so that Tel Aviv would allow the plane carrying him to travel to Moscow.

A few days before his 59th birthday (on December 11), Bashar al-Assad is reported missing.

This handout photograph taken and released on Dec. 7, 2024 by Turkish Foreign Ministery press service shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (C), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meeting during the Doha Forum in the Qatari capital.

Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers will come together in Doha on Dec. 7 under the Astana Process format to discuss the recent escalation in Syria as the opposition groups captured Aleppo and Hama in less than a week, Turkish diplomatic sources have informed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has emphasized that his country is prepared to use any necessary measures to prevent the West from achieving a "strategic defeat" against Russia. Speaking in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, Lavrov highlighted the recent use of Russia's new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in a strike on Ukraine, calling it a warning to the West.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that preparations are underway for a visit to Russia by Iranian President Masoud Pezeskyan, though the exact timing remains unclear.

Peskov noted that it is uncertain whether the visit will occur this year, but if necessary, a date could be set quickly.

Russia today accused the West of seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine to buy time to rearm Kyiv, whose forces are facing serious difficulties on the front lines against the Russian army.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has engaged in a series of diplomatic calls with regional counterparts to address escalating conflicts in Gaza and Syria.

Fidan spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the situation in Syria, where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other anti-regime factions launched a large-scale offensive on Nov. 27.