“The meeting was longer than expected”, the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was cited as saying by RIA news agency.
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Putin, Obama said, is “less colorful” than another confrontational leader, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who earlier Monday warned Obama against raising his controversial record combating drug crime in an anticipated meeting.
On Syria, the topic that occupied most of their conversation, Obama said that he and Putin have had “productive conversations” about negotiating a “real cessation of hostilities” in Syria but that “gaps of trust” have prevented reaching an agreement.
United Kingdom prime minister Theresa May was told Brexit was a mistake by USA president Barack Obama and that the United Kingdom would not be at the front of the queue for a U.S. trade deal, while Japan and China also issued stark warnings on the position of Japanese companies in Britain and May’s decision on the UK’s Hinckley point power station respectively.
The interview came as Putin and Obama met for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou on Monday.
As NPR’s David Welna reported earlier this summer, Secretary of State John Kerry has been pushing for a deal between the US and Russian Federation that would have the two countries coordinate their military efforts to target mutual enemies in Syria.
Both Russian and USA officials said the meeting – which was held in a conference room at the G20 summit site here – lasted longer than planned, and that leaders spent the bulk of their meeting discussing Syria. The US Secretary of State noted that in the near future, US and Russian experts would continue working on existing problematic issues. Russia, Nigeria and other economies are in recession.
The G20 summit, bringing together leaders of the world’s major economies, had largely focused in its main sessions on spurring the global economy, countering protectionism and removing trade barriers.
Obama also addressed a domestic controversy over NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the playing of the national anthem in protest of the treatment of minorities in the United States.
During his three-day stay in Hangzhou, Obama met with the leaders of China, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Russian Federation – all countries with complicated but integral relationships to the US. He added, though, that the two countries have not reached an agreement on cooperation in Syria yet.
Earlier, Obama said that he would expect Russian Federation to be a partner in helping to improve the situation in Syria.
Over the course of the two-day summit, finance ministers, central bank governors and other world leaders were meeting to discuss a wide range of economic topics.
In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obama raised disputes over cyberwarfare, maritime aggression and human rights. The restrictive list included the companies engaged in the construction of the bridge to the Crimea, as well as Gazprom Media Holding.
The Mexican scholar said he was happy to see that China is getting ready for a leading role in devising an agenda for sustainable development.
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U.S. president Barack Obama has said a lack of trust between Washington and Moscow is hampering efforts to agree a ceasefire in Syria and co-ordinate worldwide action against Islamic State and other radical groups operating there. He also said that Putin mistakenly perceived the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as a threat to the Russian authorities.
