The leaders of the US and Russian Federation discussed a possible cease-fire in Syria on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, while emphasizing that humanitarian aid needed to be delivered to the country immediately.
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Putin and Obama met for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Hangzhou on Monday.
“Chinese officials say it’s America’s fault that President Obama had to awkwardly exit Air Force One as he arrived in China for the G20 summit meeting, Reuters reports”.
“We should turn the G20 group into an action team, instead of a talk shop”, he said.
“We are now cooperating with Russian Federation in the region of Aleppo”.
The deal depends on the two sides agreeing to closer military co-ordination against extremist groups operating in Syria, something the Russians have long sought and the USA resisted.
“Our collaborative effort with the U.S. in fighting terrorist organizations, including the ones in Syria, may be significantly improved and intensified”, Putin said at a press conference on the results of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.
Obama said the meeting was “constructive but not conclusive”.
With the summit taking place after Britain’s vote in June to exit the European Union and before the USA presidential election in November, observers expect G20 leaders to mount a defence of free trade and globalisation and warn against isolationism.
Mr Putin has denied his government was involved, but cheered the release of the information.
Reuters said that Mr Putin said on Monday that an agreement with the U.S. on finding a way to significantly reduce the death toll in Syria could be reached in the next few days.
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The missile test was also an unwanted distraction for the United States, which has been trying on the sidelines of the summit to finalise a deal with Russian Federation for a ceasefire in Syria. He said, “We will see whether Putin, despite talking about wanting a negotiated solution, is comfortable with a constant low-grade conflict on the Russian-Ukraine border”. An “effort [to make the deal work] should increase in urgency over the next several weeks”, Obama said.
