Putin hosts foreign leaders as Russia chips away at isolation
What's new: The outreach spanned Europe, the Middle East and Africa, alongside praise for Elon Musk and Russia's Starlink rival.
President Vladimir Putin used a burst of diplomacy to show Russia was regaining foreign contacts despite Western efforts to isolate Moscow. In recent moves, he took a rare call with the leaders of Finland and Norway, hosted Qatar's emir and Iran's president at a gas-exporting countries forum, and escorted African heads of state through a Moscow exhibition. During that event, Putin urged African leaders to keep tighter control over social media to avoid unrest like the protests in France. He also promoted a Russian alternative to Starlink and said Russia remained in close contact with Elon Musk, calling the billionaire "a brilliant man."