President Obama met with his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in China, negotiating over a proposal to cooperate in the war in Syria.
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But he acknowledges that leaders are challenged by what he calls “gaps of trust” between the rival powers.
In a concession to Beijing, the statement doesn’t mention China by name and says excess steel capacity is a global issue, though USA and European officials say the vast Chinese state-owned industry, which accounts for half of worldwide output, is the root of the problem.
Obama didn’t detail the trouble spots, although he suggested the USA has concerns about Russian Federation holding up its end of the bargain and enforcing the terms.
Obama stressed the importance of a deal, saying later that the current dynamic in Syria was allowing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to bomb targets “with impunity” and permitting extremist groups to continue recruiting.
“We’re moving into a new era here where a number of countries have significant capacities”, Obama said at a news conference at the conclusion of the summit.
State Department officials have declined to elaborate on what the sticking points are preventing a deal, though the US official said the remaining differences revolved around how the plan would be implemented. In recent days, the State Department has said it only wants a nationwide cease-fire between Assad’s military and the rebels, and not another “cessation of hostilities” that is time-limited and only stops fighting in some cities and regions. USA officials blame Russian intelligence for a hack on the Democratic National Committee that resulted in a leak of emails damaging to its presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. The two presidents managed to discuss everything in detail, Putin said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel chats with President Barack Obama during the opening ceremony of the G-20 Leaders Summit on September 4, 2016, in Hangzhou, China.
Helping to set the tone, Xi addressed business executives.
“I’ve been clear we will be continuing that global strategic partnership with China”.
But the focus on climate quickly gave way to the failed Syria talks. And the USA must get rebels to break ranks with the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, a task that grew tougher after its fighters last month successfully broke the siege of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and the site of fierce recent fighting. But U.S. was wary of enter a deal that would not be effective.
China on Monday levelled responsibility at the United States and journalists for a fracas at a Chinese airport, in which officials of both countries exchanged heated remarks as President Barack Obama disembarked from his aircraft.
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President Barack Obama says he has asked his staff to assess whether it would be productive for him to meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. His next stop is Laos, where he’ll promote his effort to deepen ties to Southeast Asia. This, after Duterte warned Obama not to question him about extrajudicial killings in his country.
