The arrival of the first top Russian diplomat in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad’s fall kicks off negotiations over the fate of Moscow’s bases in Syria.

Early in his first administration, President Trump noted the general’s “brilliance and fortitude.” And then the president got angry.

The mayor, Vitali Klitschko, who has had a tense relationship with President Volodymyr Zelensky, accused him of trying to usurp the powers of elected officials in the capital.

Perhaps none of President Trump’s picks for his new cabinet embody his worldview better than former Representative Tulsi Gabbard.

President Trump jabs at the Russian leader with threats; Vladimir Putin responds with flattery. But there are notable signals in their jousting, including a revived discussion about nuclear arms control.

Russia’s president flattered his American counterpart as “smart” and “pragmatic,” and repeated Mr. Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

The high popularity that the Ukrainian president had in the early days of the Russian invasion, with an approval rating of about 90 percent, has dipped badly.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia praised President Trump’s second inauguration, but the American leader did not return the compliment.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has made big promises on Ukraine, Iran, China and crises around the globe. But he will have to make difficult choices.

Mr. Rubio expressed views aligned with those of most senators who work on foreign policy, while taking care not to break from Donald J. Trump’s unorthodox ideas.

Russia’s president is said to have blamed birds or a Ukrainian drone for a Dec. 25 crash of an Azerbaijani plane. Azerbaijan says Russian air defenses were at fault.

Senator Marco Rubio, who is nominated for secretary of state, has a long history of personal and policy differences with President-elect Donald Trump.

The White House scrambled to get a message to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last year after U.S. intelligence agencies said a Russian military unit was preparing to send explosive packages on cargo planes.

The president-elect had said Russia’s leader wanted to meet him to discuss the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said it welcomed such dialogue, but a meeting could occur only after Mr. Trump took office.

In the crash’s aftermath, Azerbaijan has unleashed rare and stinging criticism of Russia, with the country’s president saying Moscow’s response has caused “surprise, regret and rightful indignation.”

Ukrainian forces’ assault was in the Russian region where they made a surprise incursion last summer.

The leader of Azerbaijan criticized the Russian response to the crash of a passenger jet that Azerbaijani officials said had most likely been hit by Russian air defenses.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told the Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.”

Russia has assembled a fleet of hundreds of vessels to covertly ship its oil. With so many ships at sea, the idea of using some to cause havoc may be proving irresistible to the Kremlin.