Russia has told embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to do whatever possible to ensure peace in the violence-hit country.
"Every leader in every country should understand their responsibility. You understand yours," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Assad during talks in Damascus on Tuesday. "It's in our interests that the Arab people live in peace and harmony," he added.
Lavrov's visit comes three days after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution that sought to condemn the violent crackdown in Syria. He arrived in Damascus along with his Foreign Intelligence Service chief Mikhail Fradkov, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Lavrov had not revealed the purpose of his Syrian mission, telling a news conference in Moscow on Monday that it would be "unveiled only to the addressee." Ahead of the visit, he had said that the UNSC was too "hasty" in bringing the resolution to a vote and described Western condemnation of Moscow's veto as "hysterical."
While talks between Assad and Fradkov progressed in the Syrian capital, security forces bombarded the city of Homs, a center of resistance to the Assad regime. Denying that civilians were targeted, the Syrian government said security forces had killed "dozens of terrorists" in Homs on Monday. About one hundred people are reported to have been killed on Monday alone as security forces continued their week-long offensive in that central city.
The U.N. estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed since the uprising against the Assad regime began in March last, but human rights groups put the toll more than 7,000. The government says around 2,000 members of its security forces have been killed in the unrest.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said on Tuesday that the EU Foreign Ministers would meet in two weeks to discuss ways to stop violence in Syria, while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the violence in Syria was "totally unacceptable before humanity."
Russia is one of Syria's main arms suppliers. In December, Russia signed a $550-million contract to sell Syria 36 Yak-130 combat trainer jets, and a Russian-owned ship reportedly carrying ammunition docked at a Syrian port last month.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.