US President Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed on Monday on a UN role to end the bloodshed in Syria, as the Paris attacks jolted leaders into seeking a united front against ISIS.
Putting aside important differences, Obama and Putin met over a coffee table on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Turkey after the Paris bombing and shooting assaults, which killed at least 129 people and sparked global outrage.
“The conversation lasted approximately 35 minutes and centred around ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria, an imperative made all the more urgent by the horrifying terrorist attacks in Paris,” a US official said.
The Kremlin said “divergences” remained on strategy but the tone was described as “constructive” by a US official. It was the two presidents’ first meeting since Russia in September launched an air campaign in Syria which the Kremlin insists is aimed against ISIS.
The West however suspects Moscow’s true aim is to target opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Obama and Putin nevertheless agreed on the need for United Nations talks, a ceasefire and a transition Government in Syria, the US official said, seeking a way out of a four-year war in which ISIS have thrived, occupying large swathes of territory and displacing millions of people.