Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone talks with King Salman of Saudi Arabia focussed on seeking a solution to the Syria crisis, the Kremlin said.
Syria needs to eradicate "terrorism" to find a political solution to end the country's war, embattled President Bashar al-Assad told a visiting Russian delegation.
Russia plans to open a $5 billion credit line for Iran to help finance infrastructure projects in the country, officials from both countries said during a visit by Moscow's energy minister.
President Vladimir Putin accused the West of playing a "double game" with terrorist groups in Syria, where a US-led coalition is conducting a bombing campaign.
The Australian foreign minister's use of a red-faced emoji to depict Russia's Vladimir Putin sparked debate among lawmakers in Canberra, demanding to know what the icon means for relations between the nations.
Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia has said it plans to hold a referendum on joining Russia but the Kremlin appeared to pour cold water on the idea.
NATO voiced concern that Russia's air attacks in Syria creates the risk of "an incident getting out of control," as Moscow and the US-led international coalition pursue different military objectives in the country.
Russia's military intervention in Syria will not save President Bashar al-Assad, French President Francois Hollande said Friday after an EU summit called for a political transition to a new leader.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was a "glimmer of hope" that Ukraine could finally head towards a political solution to ending the separatist war in the country's east.
President Vladimir Putin called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to lend an additional $3 billion to Ukraine to help the ex-Soviet country pay off its debt to Russia.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk blamed Russia's security service for last year's downing of the MH17 airliner over pro-Kremlin separatist territory in the east of the ex-Soviet state.
The French government has given the green light for the extradition of Kazakh tycoon and opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov to Russia, where he is accused of embezzling billions of dollars.
Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko stressed the need for legitimate elections in the country's separatist regions in order to eventually re-integrate the pro-Moscow strongholds.