The failure of the last truce is apparently weighing heavily on President Obama and US officials, who are skeptical that Russian Federation will stick to the terms of any deal – specifically, that the Kremlin will actually use its influence to pressure Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to stop waging attacks the moderate opposition forces who are backed by the USA coalition forces.
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President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which hosts 3 million Syrian refugees, said he had reiterated to Obama and Putin at the G-20 talks in China the need for a “no-fly zone” over Syria and a “safe zone” where there would be no fighting, in hopes of stemming the human migration. But Obama “suggested the US has concerns about Russian Federation holding up its end of the bargain and enforcing the terms”, the wire service writes.
Obama and Putin also discussed the conflict in Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the government, and the implementation of the agreement to stop the violence. Trump has often expressed admiration for Putin’s leadership, describing him as strong and resolute in contrast to Obama, whom he has painted as a weak and ineffective leader.
Mr. Obama called the discussion on Syria “productive” about what a real cessation of hostilities would actually look like.
The Turkish president also said his country was cooperating with Russian Federation for a ceasefire to be declared in the Aleppo region before the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday, which is due around September 12.
On Syria, the president left the diplomatic heavy lifting to Kerry, who met twice with the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov.
Underlining the Kremlin’s close links to the parties involved, however, Putin said Moscow would have to consult with Damascus and Tehran on any attempts to improve the situation in Syria.
Steve King (R) said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been a better leader for his country than President Obama has been for the U.S. Deep divides over Syria have marred Obama’s relationship with Putin, adding to a litany of discord between the United States and Russian Federation that’s driven relations to their lowest level since the Cold War.
Negotiators failed to work through differences, and the talks have ended for now.
A deal on Syria could place US-Russia ties in a firmer position as Obama prepares to leave office.
“(The two presidents) discussed, above all, Syria and Ukraine.
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Obama’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping also veered into delicate territory, with a lengthy White House description detailing how Obama had pressed Xi to abide by an global tribunal’s ruling against China over the South China Sea.
