Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to hold a summit with Donald Trump in a third country at talks on Wednesday with the US leader's hawkish national security advisor, voicing hope for an easing of tensions between the two nations.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russian forces would remain in Syria as long as it was in Moscow's interests, despite earlier announcing Russia's mission in the war-torn country was largely completed.

Russian naval vessels will patrol off Syria, where Moscow is supporting President Bashar al-Assad's regime, in order to ward off terrorist threats, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia's president for a fourth term on Monday, extending his almost two-decade rule by another six years at a time of high tension with his Western rivals.

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide. 

Russian media on Monday said Vladimir Putin's growing standoff with the West had boosted the size of his election victory, while liberal journalists voiced fears over his stranglehold on politics.

One year after the murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey in Ankara, Russian-Turkish ties are at their strongest point for several years although numerous areas of tension remain.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iran's leadership Wednesday, with the two Damascus allies pushing a peace deal on Syria and looking to boost business despite U.S. opposition to a landmark nuclear deal.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced that Russia would destroy its last chemical weapons, hailing the move as a "historic event" and accusing the United States of not following suit.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russian presidency's summer headquarters in Sochi.