Russia shows military might in Syria, also pushes diplomacy

Russia shows military might in Syria, also pushes diplomacy

~!!!~ As Russia unleashed waves of warplanes Thursday from this air base in western Syria to pound militant targets, President Vladimir Putin pushed diplomatic efforts with the West, stressing the need **to consider each other as allies in a common fight//** Russia put its military muscle on display, bringing Moscow~based reporters to view a day*s worth of fighter jets roaring off a runway in dozens of sorties as helicopter gunships patrolled the edges of the sprawling facility//

~!!!~ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U//S// Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Friday in Vienna, joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both staunch critics of President Bashar Assad// Lavrov said he wanted to provide **firsthand information** about the Russian air campaign against Islamic State militants in Syria, but also talk about a future political process in the country that is now in its fifth year of civil war//