Russia and the U.S. have not abandoned hopes of holding a Syria peace conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Monday.

Putin told Obama that their positions on Syria do not coincide but both leaders agree on the need to push for negotiations in Syria's two-year-old civil war, the Associated Press reported.

Russia said on Monday it would not permit a no-fly zone to be implemented over Syria, following reports that plans for such a measure were being drawn up by the United States.

"We saw with the example of Libya how such a zone is introduced and how such decisions are implemented. We do not want a repeat of this in respect to the Syria conflict. I think that we will not permit in principle such a scenario," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday insisted that Moscow had abided by "rules and norms" when providing weapons to Syria and demanded other G8 countries which are contemplating arming rebels do likewise.

Putin was speaking in London after holding talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron which could set the tone for the G8 summit, with the West at odds with Moscow over the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday congratulated Hassan Rowhani on his victory in Iran's presidential election and urged him to forge closer ties with Moscow.

"Putin expressed confidence that Hassan Rowhani's work on this high post will promote the flourishing of (Russian) friend Iran and further strengthen Russian-Iranian relations," the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in a message to Iran's president-elect.

Russia said on Saturday there was no need for Syrian President Bashar Assad to use chemical weapons against rebels because his forces were making steady advances on the ground.

"The regime, as the opposition is saying out in the open, is enjoying military success on the ground," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters during a joint press appearance with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a bilateral meeting at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland after Washington upped the ante in the Syrian war by pledging military aid to rebels, the Kremlin's foreign policy aide said.

Putin and Obama will meet on the sidelines of the G8 summit at the Lough Erne resort on Monday and will also kickstart a Syria session at the summit at the request of host Britain.

Russia said Friday that U.S. data on the Syrian regime's alleged use of chemical weapons was "unconvincing", and warned Washington against repeating the mistake it made when invading Iraq after falsely accusing Saddam Hussein of stocking weapons of mass destruction.

The Kremlin's top foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov also said the U.S. decision to provide military aid to Syrian rebels would damage international efforts to end a conflict that has left tens of thousands dead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will fly to Britain a day before next week's G8 summit for talks with David Cameron on the conflict in Syria, the British prime minister announced Wednesday.

The two leaders will meet at Cameron's Downing Street office on Sunday, before heading to Northern Ireland for the summit of Group of Eight nations on Monday and Tuesday.

Several thousand people marched through Moscow on Wednesday to support detained or jailed anti-Kremlin protesters, a day after President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of supporting a protest movement against him.

Led by anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, the protest dubbed the "March Against Butchers" was aimed at supporting twelve activists accused of violence at an opposition rally last year as well as jailed activists.

Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin considered on Wednesday that the Baabda declaration is the basis of the Lebanese state, hailing the efforts exerted by the authorities and the army to prevent strife in the country.

“Russia is committed to stability and security in Lebanon,” Zasypkin said marking the National Day Russia at Coral Beach Hotel.