Putin calls on Europe to rebuild Syria so that refugees can return

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Europe to financially contribute to the reconstruction of Syria to allow millions of refugees to return home.

"We need to strengthen the humanitarian effort in the Syrian conflict," he said yesterday ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart Angela Merkel at the government retreat of Meseberg castle 70kms (45 miles) north of Berlin.

"By that, I mean above all humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, and help the regions where refugees living abroad can return to."
Earlier, Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas said he was "relatively optimistic about the chances of a United Nations mission", telling the Die Welt newspaper: "We want to give a new dynamic to the Minsk process."