Putin thanks Jordan's King Abdullah for support on Syria talks

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Jordan's King Abdullah on Wednesday for supporting a round of Syria peace talks this week in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Abdullah said Russia was playing a critical role in solving the crisis in Syria. Putin said the Astana talks would become the basis for separate, U.N.-led negotiations in Geneva. (Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; writing by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Alexander Winning)