Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa warmly in Moscow as the two met for the first time since key Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad was ousted last year. Russia was a key ally of Assad during the bloody 14-year Syrian civil war, providing vital military support that kept his forces in power. But he was ousted from power last December in an offensive led by Sharaa's Islamist forces, fleeing to Russia, which has been sheltering him and his family for the past 10 months