Putin, Obama discuss Ukraine peace deal, Islamic State
June 26, 2015, 5:35 am

File photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin with his US counterpart Barack Obama [PPIO]

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama, “in particular discussed the Ukrainian crisis and the fulfillment of the Minsk Agreements”.

The two leaders agreed US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin “will be in contact to discuss implementation of these agreements”, said a Kremlin statement on Friday.

Russia has earlier said that western countries were obliged to ensure that Kiev also stuck by the terms of the Minsk agreement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry will also be instructed by Obama and Putin to hold a meeting to discuss “issues pertaining to fighting terrorism, particularly the spread of influence by the “Islamic State” group”.

“They also engaged in a detailed exchange of opinions concerning the situation in Syria and touched on settling the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme,” said the Kremlin statement.

The US has stressed that current sanctions would remain in place until Russia cooperated with implementing a Ukraine peace plan agreed in Minsk in February.

Russia was suspended from the G8 last year over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and its alleged backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Russia denies the allegations.

“President Obama reiterated the need for Russia to fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements, including the removal of all Russian troops and equipment from Ukrainian territory,” the White House said in a statement on the Obama-Putin conversation on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that while Russia had paid attention to the latest threats of sanctions, the G7 had produced no “new theses”.

TBP