The Syrian government has effectively stopped aid convoys this month and the besieged city of Aleppo is close to running out of fuel, making U.S.-Russian peace talks in Geneva on Friday even more urgent, the United Nations said.

• September 9, 2016

Ukraine cannot get back the Crimea peninsula, although Russia took it by annexation, Czech President Milos Zeman was quoted as saying.

• September 9, 2016

The United States and Russia have not reached a ceasefire deal for Syria, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday, saying it could not confirm Moscow's announcement that the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers would meet in Geneva on Thursday.

• September 8, 2016

Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that Russia's Vladimir Putin had been a better leader than U.S. President Barack Obama, as the Republican presidential nominee used a televised forum to argue he was best equipped to reassert America's global leadership.

• September 8, 2016

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday said he would travel to Ukraine with his French counterpart next week to discuss if, and when, a new round of talks involving Russia could be arranged on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

• September 7, 2016

Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on Monday to cooperate in world oil markets, saying they will not act immediately but could limit output in the future, sending prices higher on hopes the two top oil producers would work together to tackle a global glut.

• September 6, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged his support to the man emerging as the likely next leader of Uzbekistan on Tuesday, during a visit that put a stamp on Moscow's claim to be the ex-Soviet republic's closest ally.

• September 6, 2016

A European Parliament committee on Monday backed visa-free travel to the European Union for Georgia and moved toward granting another ex-Soviet republic, Ukraine, the same right, after migration worries delayed the process before the summer.

• September 5, 2016