German minister urges Russia to cooperate in solving Syria crisis

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Saturday urged Russia to help solve the Syria crisis as he set off for a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized nations in Toronto.

The Syrian conflict has badly damaged already strained relations between the West and Russia, which backs President Bashar Assad.

"We need constructive contributions from Russia to reach a peaceful solution," Maas told reporters before his flight, adding that this was equally true of the Ukraine conflict, which the G7 foreign ministers are also due to discuss.