Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, once again had a sideline meeting at an global summit-this time, at the G20 in Hangzhou, China.
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Their discussion came hours after top US and Russian diplomats failed to seal a deal aimed at providing access to humanitarian aid for thousands of civilians in the war-torn country.
Obama’s wariness was less apparent among his State Department negotiators, who had been so hopeful a deal could come together while world leaders gathered in China that they scheduled a press conference and announced plans to brief reporters on the pact.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayypip Erdogan also met to discuss the conflict in Syria and to try to mend their countries’ frayed relations. The two leaders used the talk to clarify sticking points, the official said.
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.
Although the summit concluded without a deal, the two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to reach an agreement and noted the progress made in the talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
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.
President Barack Obama wraps up his final G20 meeting as president Monday with looming questions over USA policies toward China, North Korea and regional security.
“I will tell you that we’ve had problems with cyber intrusions from Russian Federation in the past”, said Obama, without detailing precise intrusions.
“In Ukraine, we need to continue the Minsk process and address current bottlenecks including the implementation of the special status, the security situation and the lack of trust between the parties”, Hollande said.
Also Sunday, the president of the European Union’s governing body, the European Commission, called for action on China’s bloated steel industry.
Speaking at the opening session, the Chinese president said that the global economy has arrived “at a crucial juncture” in the face of slow demand, volatile financial markets and feeble trade and investment.
May said she didn’t want Britain to become inward looking.
Kerry then listed two main priorities to ensure any new ceasefire holds: responding to violations by the Damascus regime and checking the rising influence of the former Al-Nusra Front.
The US hopes to align with Russian Federation to identify terrorist targets, including ISIS and the Nusra Front, a group formerly tied to al-Qaeda.
Mr. Obama said the renewed attacks around the city of Aleppo by the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad is prompting the terrorist group al Nusra to recruit more fighters to its ranks.
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Meanwhile, Putin told reporters that a deal with the USA to “ease tensions in Syria” may come “within a few days”, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
