land bridge

But this is all part of Putin's strategically vital land bridge connecting Russia to occupied Crimea.

The country was once connected to Australia by a land bridge, and shares many of the same snake species, so the Australian government gives the antivenom for free – snake diplomacy, if you like.

After its annexation in 2014 Putin sought to cement Russia's control over Crimea, first with a 12-mile bridge built over the Kerch Strait in 2018 and then by capturing a land bridge along the Sea of Azov coast in 2022.

Syria served as a land bridge across which Iran shipped weapons to Hezbollah for many years.

Kurdish allies in northeast Syria and enabling them to continue maintaining detention camps holding Islamic State fighters and ensuring that Syria truly break with Iran and Hezbollah so that Syria will no longer serve as a land bridge to rearm Lebanese fighters.