Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's embattled leader Bashar al-Assad stressed that military operations in Syria must be followed by political steps to try to end the conflict, during a surprise visit to Moscow by Assad.

"We are ready to make our contribution not only during armed hostilities in the fight against terrorism but also during a political process," Putin told Assad on Tuesday. Assad for his part also stressed the importance of "further political steps," according to a Kremlin statement.