Complete coverage of the U.S.-Russia summit, being held July 6-8 in Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed the candidacy of First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in the March presidential election -- the first time Putin has publicly supported a presumed successor.

Authorities opened a murder investigation Friday into the death of a senior executive at state-run bank VTB, who was found dead with his legs bound, in a swimming pool at his luxury dacha outside Moscow.

The mystery surrounding whom President Vladimir Putin will back as his preferred successor will end on Dec. 17, a mere 74 days before the presidential election. But until then, the name promises to be kept as a larger-than-life secret.

Renault has emerged the winner to buy a 25 percent stake in AvtoVAZ as the French carmaker looks to reinforce its position in what will soon become Europe's largest car market and help the Russian giant resuscitate its troubled Lada brand.

A blast on a bus in southern Russia killed two people on Sunday, emergency services said, less than a month after five people died when a bomb exploded on a bus in a neighboring region.

A Kremlin source has dismissed as ""sheer speculation"" reports that President Vladimir Putin plans to create a new role for himself heading a union of Russia and Belarus.

Stillwater Mining, the U.S. producer of platinum and palladium that is owned by Norilsk Nickel, has won a judge's approval for a $2.6 million settlement of a five-year shareholder lawsuit.

Ritzio Entertainment Group, the country's largest gaming company, plans to expand its presence in Germany and Italy and enter other European countries before gambling is restricted in its home market.

President Hugo Chavez promised to supply the oil needs of Belarus for years to come Saturday, while President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to help Venezuela beef up its military.