International security

World Leaders Must Bring Russia Back From the Cold, Renzi Says

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said western leaders trying to end the carnage inSyria must accept the central role of Russia in world affairs as a renewed drive to end the war got off to a difficult start in New York.

The youthful premier, in a sweeping interview that tackled issues ranging from reform of Italy’s Senate to the Middle East and the migration crisis, urged his partners to show they could "build a Europe without walls, but with hope."

As U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held their first formal sit-down in more than a year, Renzi, 40, said Russia had an "absolutely crucial" role to play on key dossiers including Syria.