Russian President Vladimir Putin has been playing host to an increasingly long queue of statesmen trying to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

The latest to arrive is the UN’s Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon.

So far, Putin shows no sign of abandoning Bashar al-Assad.

Al Jazeera's David Chater, reporting from Moscow, said: "He [Putin] will not sacrifice such a vital strategic partnership, no matter what weight of international pressure is applied."