Russia considers joining anti-IS air strikes as the lack of U.S. leadership has created a power vacuum.
The US has been conducting air strikes against IS since August 2014
Syria's war
West 'walking into abyss' on Syria
Diplomatic goals behind Putin's Syria build-up
Middle East wars fuelling migrant crisis
Why Gulf states are not letting Syrians in
Russia is considering whether to follow the US and its allies in conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets, President Vladimir Putin says.
Mr Putin spoke after meeting Barack Obama on the sidelines
of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
But the meeting, and the leaders' speeches at the UNGA, also highlighted splits about how to end the Syrian war.
Russia said it would be an "enormous mistake" not to work with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to tackle IS.
On Monday, the US and France again insisted that President Assad must go. But in response, Mr Putin said: "They aren't citizens of Syria and so should not be involved in choosing the leadership of another country."
Russia would conduct air strikes only if they were approved by the United Nations, he said, while also ruling out Russian troops taking part in a ground operation in Syria.
Media captionVladimir Putin: "Our talks were very constructive, business-like and surprisingly frank"
The two leaders met for 90 minutes on the sidelines of the UNGA in talks that Mr Putin called "very constructive, business-like and frank".
It was their first face-to-face meeting in almost a year, with the Ukraine war also on the agenda.
A senior US government official said neither president was "seeking to score points" in the talks. Both sides agreed to open lines of communication to avoid accidental military conflict in the region, the official added.
Putin's progress - by BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg
He came. He left. But it's unclear what Vladimir Putin achieved in New York.
Pro-Kremlin media are portraying Putin's speech and meeting with President Obama as a victory for Russia.
"Vladimir Putin addressed the world" is Komsomolskaya Pravda's headline, reflecting the Kremlin's attempt to reassert Russia's role on the world stage.
On Russian TV, a pro-Kremlin MP has claimed that the timing of Nasa's announcement about water on Mars was designed by Washington to trump the Putin speech.
As for business daily Vedomosti, it notes that the Kremlin's call for a coalition against Islamic State may be "part of a political strategy to remove sanctions" against Russia. It's unclear whether it'll work.
After his meeting with Obama, Mr Putin admitted US-Russian relations had fallen to a very low level and he left no doubt who was to blame: America.
In his speech to the UNGA, Mr Obama said compromise among powers would be essential to ending the Syrian conflict, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives and forced four million people to flee abroad.
Media captionBarack Obama says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go
"The US is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict," he said.
"But we must recognise that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo."
But Mr Putin said it was an "enormous mistake to refuse to co-operate with the Syrian government and its armed forces who are valiantly fighting terrorism face-to-face".
Syria's war
West 'walking into abyss' on Syria
Diplomatic goals behind Putin's Syria build-up
Middle East wars fuelling migrant crisis
Why Gulf states are not letting Syrians in
Russia is considering whether to follow the US and its allies in conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets, President Vladimir Putin says.
Mr Putin spoke after meeting Barack Obama on the sidelines
of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
But the meeting, and the leaders' speeches at the UNGA, also highlighted splits about how to end the Syrian war.
Russia said it would be an "enormous mistake" not to work with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to tackle IS.
On Monday, the US and France again insisted that President Assad must go. But in response, Mr Putin said: "They aren't citizens of Syria and so should not be involved in choosing the leadership of another country."
Russia would conduct air strikes only if they were approved by the United Nations, he said, while also ruling out Russian troops taking part in a ground operation in Syria.
Media captionVladimir Putin: "Our talks were very constructive, business-like and surprisingly frank"
The two leaders met for 90 minutes on the sidelines of the UNGA in talks that Mr Putin called "very constructive, business-like and frank".
It was their first face-to-face meeting in almost a year, with the Ukraine war also on the agenda.
A senior US government official said neither president was "seeking to score points" in the talks. Both sides agreed to open lines of communication to avoid accidental military conflict in the region, the official added.
Putin's progress - by BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg
He came. He left. But it's unclear what Vladimir Putin achieved in New York.
Pro-Kremlin media are portraying Putin's speech and meeting with President Obama as a victory for Russia.
"Vladimir Putin addressed the world" is Komsomolskaya Pravda's headline, reflecting the Kremlin's attempt to reassert Russia's role on the world stage.
On Russian TV, a pro-Kremlin MP has claimed that the timing of Nasa's announcement about water on Mars was designed by Washington to trump the Putin speech.
As for business daily Vedomosti, it notes that the Kremlin's call for a coalition against Islamic State may be "part of a political strategy to remove sanctions" against Russia. It's unclear whether it'll work.
After his meeting with Obama, Mr Putin admitted US-Russian relations had fallen to a very low level and he left no doubt who was to blame: America.
In his speech to the UNGA, Mr Obama said compromise among powers would be essential to ending the Syrian conflict, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives and forced four million people to flee abroad.
Media captionBarack Obama says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go
"The US is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict," he said.
"But we must recognise that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo."
But Mr Putin said it was an "enormous mistake to refuse to co-operate with the Syrian government and its armed forces who are valiantly fighting terrorism face-to-face".
After trading barbs on Syria, the two men shook hands before heading to a face-to-face meeting
He also called for the creation of a "broad anti-terror coalition" to fight IS, comparing it to the international forces that fought against Nazi Germany in World War Two.
US and Middle East reaction to Putin
The Washington Post urges the world to "resist this siren song" of President Putin on Syria, insisting there can be no lasting peace anywhere "on the basis of tyranny restored"
Mr Putin has no particular strategy to contain the Syrian conflict, according to the New York Times, which wonders "how much he can afford to invest in a dead-end war in Syria"
In Syria, however, pro-government al-Thawrah argues that Russia is "setting things straight" after the West "messed up"
Lebanese daily al-Nahar suggests the gap between the US and Russia is being bridged despite their differences on President Assad
Iranian daily al-Vefagh argues the war in Syria is a "Russian national security issue"
The US and Russian leaders have long differed on Syria: the US opposes President Assad remaining in power, while Russia has been a staunch ally of the regime in Damascus and has recently stepped up military support.
Some Western leaders have recently softened their stance towards the Syrian president, conceding that he might be able to stay in power during a political transition.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to reflect that in talks this week.
He also called for the creation of a "broad anti-terror coalition" to fight IS, comparing it to the international forces that fought against Nazi Germany in World War Two.
US and Middle East reaction to Putin
The Washington Post urges the world to "resist this siren song" of President Putin on Syria, insisting there can be no lasting peace anywhere "on the basis of tyranny restored"
Mr Putin has no particular strategy to contain the Syrian conflict, according to the New York Times, which wonders "how much he can afford to invest in a dead-end war in Syria"
In Syria, however, pro-government al-Thawrah argues that Russia is "setting things straight" after the West "messed up"
Lebanese daily al-Nahar suggests the gap between the US and Russia is being bridged despite their differences on President Assad
Iranian daily al-Vefagh argues the war in Syria is a "Russian national security issue"
The US and Russian leaders have long differed on Syria: the US opposes President Assad remaining in power, while Russia has been a staunch ally of the regime in Damascus and has recently stepped up military support.
Some Western leaders have recently softened their stance towards the Syrian president, conceding that he might be able to stay in power during a political transition.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to reflect that in talks this week.
What's the human cost?
More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and one million injured in four and a half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war.
And the survivors?
More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes, four million of them abroad, as forces loyal to President Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other - as well as jihadist militants from IS. Growing numbers of refugees are going to Europe.
How has the world reacted?
Regional and world powers have also been drawn into the conflict. Iran and Russia, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, are propping up the Alawite-led government. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are backing the Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France.
Syria's civil war explained
Diplomatic goals behind Putin's Syria build-up
Migrant crisis: Fleeing life under Islamic State in Syria
The battle for Syria and Iraq in maps
The threat of IS extremists and the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe has added urgency to the search for a deal to end the civil war.
Observers also continue to report attacks on civilians by government forces.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that regime aircraft fired missiles at a market in the eastern town of Mayadeen on Monday, killing at least 23 people, including eight children.
A US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq for more than a year.
The UK announced this month it had carried out a drone strike against two British citizens in Syria, but has yet to fly manned operations in Syrian airspace.
Over the weekend, France confirmed its first air strikes against IS targets. A number of other countries, including Australia, Canada and Jordan, have also conducted bombing missions.
Under Obama.....the Russians have become more powerful, the Chinese continue to become more powerful (and belligerent), Iran is more powerful and will be allowed to get a nuclear bomb (insane). ISIS - the "JV Team" as Obumbler once called them is now taking back all of our gains we won at the price of thousands and thousands of dead and injured Americans. Islam and it's crazies are on the march throughout the Middle East. Under Obamaniac - we are continuing to winnow down our own forces....we are under 400 ships in our navy now. (We had over 700 when Reagan left office)....we have terrible morale. But we do have gays in the military and in command now! What an epic and across the board foreign policy failure this Democrat is. Democrats of the 19th Ward - WAKE UP your parents and grand parents would never ever have accepted this craziness just in the name of your political party of preference. Parties change.....the beliefs change.....this is not a Democratic Party anymore.....it is the Socialist Party of surrender. Seriously makes me ill.
ReplyDelete19 th ward dems will wake up when they are appearing before the local death panel.
DeletePutin probably figured to meet with Obama before Obama gives away the rest of the store to some other left wing foreign government. Wouldn't it be nice if they couldn't get enough private donations to put that friggin presidential library here?
ReplyDelete