Beijing:US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met in China, after American and Russian diplomats failed to reach an agreement over easing the fighting in Syria.?
Another round of talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov were held on Monday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, but it ended without producing a tangible result, according to a senior State Department official.
Kerry and Lavrov also met on Sunday but the two officials could not reach an agreement on ending the years-long conflict in Syria.
The US side blamed Moscow for reversing its position on the issues it thought were settled. "Russians walked back on some of the areas we thought we were agreed on, so we are going back to capitals to consult,” an America diplomat said.
The two sides had already mentioned that they are still at odds over certain subjects. A thorny issue is a new ceasefire deal in Aleppo.
The northern city has been the scene of fierce battles between government forces and foreign-backed militants.
The Syrian army has inflicted heavy losses on the militants and the United States and its allies are trying to find a way to prevent the total defeat of the terrorists there.
After the meeting of Kerry and Lavrov, Obama and Putin held a meeting on Monday on the margins the G-20 summit.
The two leaders reportedly discussed crises in Syria, as well as Ukraine. Their discussion wasn’t a formal meeting. It was their first face-to-face meeting in nearly a year.
According to a senior Obama administration official, who wanted to remain anonymous while discussing the private talks, Obama and Putin agreed to continue negotiations over the ceasefire agreement for Syria.
The meeting between Obama and Putin had a "businesslike tone" and went on longer than anticipated, the official said.
Earlier, Obama had said that the two sides were working hard to reach a deal on a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
Obama noted that the US and Russia have deep differences with regard to the parties they support in Syria as well as the process to bring peace there.
Yet, he said the Russian-American talks are key for efforts to reduce violence in the Arab state.
"Our conversations with the Russians are key because if it were not for the Russians, then Assad and the regime would not be able to sustain its offensive," he said.
"But it is worth trying," Obama went on. "To the extent that there are children and women and innocent civilians who can get food and medical supplies and get some relief from the constant terror of bombings, that's worth the effort."
Washington and Moscow have sought for weeks to secure a ceasefire between Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and extremist groups operating in Syria.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The Takfiri terrorists operating in the Middle Eastern state have suffered major setbacks over the past few months as the Syrian army has managed to liberate many key areas.
Russia says US statements on Syria talks have no basis
Russia says there is no basis for “dramatic statements” after its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry failed to strike a deal on ending the conflict in Syria.
The US State Department said Sunday a deal was close and could be announced by Kerry and his Russian counterpart, but hours later acknowledged they had failed to reach an agreement and that differences remained.
“There are no reasons for such dramatic statements as those being made by some State Department sources, that nothing has been achieved,” Interfax news agency quoted a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying Monday.
“The process will continue,” the source added.
Kerry and Lavrov had met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.The two were expected to meet again on Monday.
Earlier on Sunday, President Barack Obama said the US and Russia had deep differences with regard to the parties they support in Syria as well as the process to bring peace there.
Speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Obama said the Russian-US talks were key for efforts to reduce violence in the Arab country.
Washington and Moscow have sought for weeks to secure a ceasefire between Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and terrorist groups operating in the country.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, more than 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Takfiri terrorists have suffered major setbacks over the past few months and the Syrian army has managed to liberate many key areas.
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