Putin Hosts Assad, Expected to Focus on Rebuilding Syria

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks focusing on rebuilding Syria after a devastating civil war and mending Damascus' ties with Turkey.

Welcoming Assad at the start of the meeting, which took place on the anniversary of Syria's 12-year uprising-turned-civil war, Putin emphasized the Russian military's 'decisive contribution' to stabil