Putin and Syria's Assad hold talks in Moscow on rebel area

Syrian state TV says Russia's Vladimir Putin and Syria's Bashar Assad held talks in Moscow on the cooperation between their armies and how to continue operations to gain control of rebel-held areas

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Syria’s Bashar Assad have met in Moscow to discuss the cooperation between their armies and how to continue operations to gain control of the last rebel-held areas in Syria, state media in Damascus reported on Tuesday. The Monday night meeting between the two presidents was the first since they held a summit in the Syrian capital in January last year. Syrian state TV described it as a long meeting and said the two were later joined by Syria’s foreign minister and Russia’s defense minister to discuss mutual relations and fighting terrorism. Putin also blasted the presence of “foreign forces" in parts of Syria — an apparent reference to hundreds of U.S. troops who are in eastern Syria working with Kurdish-led fighters in battling the Islamic State group, and also Turkish forces in northern Syria. Putin said the presence of the foreigners is illegal because they have no approval by the U.N. or Assad's government. “This clearly violates international law and doesn’t allow you to make maximum efforts to consolidate the country,” Putin was quoted as telling Assad, according to a statement released by the Kremlin.