International

Russia's growing military involvement in the Syria conflict is expected to be high on the agenda of Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

It comes after Nato member Turkey said Russian jets had violated its airspace.

Russia has fired missiles from a warship in addition to air strikes to support Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

But Moscow denies Western accusations that its strikes have mainly hit Assad opponents, some supported by the West, and not Islamic State (IS) militants.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says Nato aims to make clear it will respond to any challenge.

Russia wants to show that Western policy in Syria has failed and there are other forces to be supported there, primarily President Bashar al-Assad.

The Kremlin's desire appears to be aimed at keeping America on the back foot.

The use of cruise missiles on Wednesday does not change the situation militarily - the same effect could have been achieved by air strikes.

But Mr Putin wants to project his power on the world stage, to show that he is a force to be reckoned with.