Istanbul

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.

“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 Islamic State (IS).

Obama and Putin 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 IS jihadists have thrived, occupying large areas of territory and displacing millions of people.

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