According to media reports, US President Barack Obama and Putin failed to reach a deal on Monday on a ceasefire for Syria but the two leaders agreed to continue negotiations when they met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.
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Following the informal “pull-aside” meeting, Obama revealed he and Putin talked about how they could reach “a meaningful, serious, verifiable cessation of hostilities in Syria” and about the situation in Ukraine, which Russian Federation invaded in 2014.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov have for weeks been trying to broker a deal that would curb the violence between the Russian-ally Assad’s government forces and moderate rebels backed by the U.S. Talks are expected to resume quickly, probably later this week.
He added: “Now in this summit, to all of our friends, we have brought up this issue and told them this”. The divisions were not bridged by Obama in his meeting with Putin.
“The faster we can offer some relief to folks on ground”, he said, “the better off we’re going to be”.
Russian news sites reported the president’s vehicle – a black BMW – collided with a Mercedes in the country’s capital city, Moscow. Kerry and Lavrov had been working “around the clock” to come to an agreement, Obama told reporters. Citing the increased friction between the US, Russia and China on this front, Obama called for a de-escalation of tensions.
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Russian Federation supports government forces loyal to President Bashir Assad, while the U.S. backs anti-government forces in the war-devastated country. Officials hope a ceasefire will help advance talks on a political transition that would lead to the resignation of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Deep divides over Syria have marred Obama’s relationship with Putin, adding to a litany of discord between the USA and Russian Federation that’s driven relations to their lowest level since the Cold War.
