PHOTO: EPA/CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL
The meeting of Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama went off well and lasted longer than planned. The Syrian issue and Ukraine were discussed first and foremost, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters following talks on Monday, TASS reports.
“The meeting lasted longer than planned. (The two presidents) discussed, above all, Syria and Ukraine. After that Obama and Putin held a one-on-one meeting behind closed doors,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
He added that the meeting went off well. “The work will continue,” Peskov said.
The Associated Press quotes a senior Obama administration official as saying that “President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to keep up negotiations over a cease-fire agreement for Syria.”
The official says Obama and Putin met for 90 minutes on Monday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in Hangzhou, China.
The official says Obama and Putin clarified the remaining gaps in the talks, which largely involve how the deal would be implemented.
The official says the two leaders directed their teams to meet again quickly, possible as soon as later this week.