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![Obama described his meeting with Putin as "candid" but said that "grave differences" remained over Syria [Xinhua]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/258414191_8-e1473091717965.jpg)
Obama described his meeting with Putin as “candid” but said that “grave differences” remained over Syria [Xinhua]
In talks that Obama described as “blunt” and “businesslike”, the two leaders met after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry met for the second time in a week to narrow their differences over the Syrian conflict.
On Monday, Obama admitted that he and his Russian counterpart had tough work ahead to close the gaps between them, which he called “grave differences” on ending the conflict.
After 90 minutes of candid talks, the two leaders failed to agree on the fate of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad but Obama expressed hope that they could reach consensus on working together to defeat the Islamic State.
But Putin appeared to reporters in a press conference following the meeting to be more optimistic.
“Our collaborative effort with the US in fighting terrorist organizations, including the ones in Syria, may be significantly improved and intensified,” Putin said, before adding he believes that Russia and the US could reach a deal soon.
Russian presidency spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency TASS that the Obama-Putin meeting lasted longer than planned and involved discussions about Ukraine, in addition to Syria.
He said that the work between the two superpowers will continue.
Meanwhile, Peskov also ruled out a trilateral meeting between Al Assad, Putin and Turkish President Recep Teyyep Erdogan.
He labeled a previous report of the meeting in Arab media as “absolutely false”.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
