Russia’s Putin and Abu Dhabi crown prince to meet, discuss Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Sunday to discuss security in the Middle East and the conflict in Syria.

The meeting between the two is the highest-level contact between the Kremlin and a Gulf Arab official since Russia began a campaign of air strikes to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“I welcome the opportunity to talk about … the situation in the region, particularly in light of recent terrorist acts in Turkey,” Putin told Prince Mohammed on the sidelines of the Russian Grand Prix in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Turkish security sources said initial indications suggest Islamic State was responsible for twin bombings which killed at least 95 people in the Turkish capital Ankara on Saturday.

Russia says its actions in Syria are targeted at the radical Islamist group but critics say it has been striking opposition rebels backed by the United States and Gulf Arab states.