Russia on Monday accused the West of provocative behavior in the Syrian crisis, saying Western countries were telling the opposition to forget dialogue with President Bashar Assad.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West's behavior in this respect was "similar to a political provocation at an international level", news agencies reported.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Friday called for restraint over the Syria crisis, after talks with his French counterpart who accused President Bashar Assad of being deaf to pressure.

"We are calling for restraint and caution. This is our position," Putin told a news conference, the day after his foreign minister had likened the situation in Syria to a civil war.

Russia's top military commander warned on Thursday of a growing threat of conflicts along its borders that could even escalate into a nuclear war.

"The possibility of local armed conflicts along nearly the whole border has increased sharply," General Nikolai Makarov said, citing the fact that many of the country's Soviet partners are gravitating towards NATO.

Russia's Bolshoi Theatre Thursday acknowledged that the sensational resignation of its best known dance couple had affected preparations for the premiere of the first full ballet in its restored theatre.

In a battle of competing forces worthy of any ballet, world renowned soloists Ivan Vasiliev and Natalya Osipova stunned the dance world this week by announcing they were to join a lesser known Saint Petersburg theatre.

Damascus' Russian ally said Thursday that attacks by renegade Syrian troops risked plunging the country into civil war and accused foreign powers of fanning the flames by supporting the opposition.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was speaking after talks with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, piling more pressure on his increasingly isolated regime.

Leaders of the world's biggest gas suppliers ended their first summit on Tuesday by reiterating the need for a fair gas price while Iran, whose president was absent, warned that Western taxation will derail the energy market.

The 12-member Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) expressed in a declaration they issued after the one-day summit "the need to reach a fair price for natural gas based on gas to oil ... prices indexation."

Vladimir Putin, known for his earthy sense of humor, made a rare appearance on a popular Russian comedy show, seeming to relish a vulgar gag about Stalin and wincing at a Lada joke.

Putin seemed to cry with laughter at some points and at other times looked deeply uncomfortable, as he sat in the front row at the show, aired as a recording on state television late Sunday.

The exiled Syrian opposition on Tuesday failed to convince Moscow to toughen its stance against the regime of defiant leader Bashar al-Assad, the leader of the Paris-based dissident delegation said.

Members of the largest and most representative Syrian opposition grouping, the Syrian National Council -- led by its head Burhan Ghalioun -- traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Russia will continue exporting arms to Syria since no international decision has been made outlawing it, said a top industry official quoted by the news agency Interfax Sunday.

Speaking at the Dubai Air Show, deputy director of the Russian Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service (FSVTS) Viacheslav Dzirkaln said: "Since there is no restriction on arms deliveries to Syria, Russia respects its contractual obligations with the country."

President Barack Obama said the United States and Russia would seek a "common response" to Iran's nuclear challenge, despite strong reservations about new sanctions expressed by Moscow.

After meeting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama said the sides "reaffirmed our intention to work to shape a common response so we can move Iran to follow its international obligations when it comes to its nuclear program."