Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said in a July Fourth message to President Barack Obama that he hopes ties between the two countries will get back on track.
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Putin said he hosted the talks with Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents to help stabilize the situation in the conflict zone. Fighting there in April threatened to turn into a full-blown war between the two countries.
The White House said that regarding the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President Obama said the US was willing to intensify efforts to work with Russian Federation to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
The two leaders also appeared to be talking past each other when it came to Ukraine, with Putin insisting the USA see the importance of including the Russian-backed separatist groups in dialogue. However, using an alternative acronym for IS, it said that “the presidents confirmed their commitment to defeating ISIL and the Nusrah Front”.
“President Obama stressed the importance of Russian Federation pressing the Syrian regime for a lasting halt to offensive attacks against civilians and parties to the cessation”, the White House said.
On Syria, Obama emphasised his concerns over the failure of the Syrian regime to comply with the cessation of hostilities in Syria.
The Kremlin statement went on to paraphrase Putin as saying that he hoped the “positive experience of the past would help to set the dialogue between Russian Federation and the United States back on a constructive track thus enabling both countries to counter more effectively the threats and challenges facing the worldwide community today”.
Both Obama and Putin, their statements said, called for progress on negotiations toward a political solution to the Syrian conflict. The Kremlin, however, has recently sought rapprochement with the United States.
On Ukraine, the White House said, Obama “urged” Putin to quell increased fighting that the administration blames on Russian-backed separatists, and “stressed the urgent importance” of moving forward with worldwide agreements.
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In the message, Putin signaled he wanted the US and Russian Federation to resume a positive relationship.
