A four-minute meeting between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Lima, Peru, might have been be the final encounter between the two leaders as tensions continue over Ukraine, Syria, human rights and the U.S. presidential election.
The brief meeting came as Asia-Pacific leaders gathered for a Sunday morning session. There is no plan for second meeting, a Putin spokesman said.
It was the first meeting between the two since Donald Trump’s won the election. During the campaign, Democrats accused Russia of interfering in a way that helped Trump, the Republican nominee. U.S. intelligence officials have tied the Russian government to the hacking and subsequent leaking of Democrats’ emails that hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
A summary of the “brief and informal” discussion, provided by the White House, said Obama restated U.S. and allies’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, urged Putin to uphold Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements, and said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov must keep working with other nations community to end the war in Syria.
Bombing by Syria’s government has intensified in recent days. The U.S. has criticized Russia for backing the Syrian regime in a civil war that has killed more than 300,000 people.
Obama has called on Trump to “stand up’’ to Putin when Russia pursues policies that are at odds with American interests. Trump displayed an affinity to Russia and Putin during his campaign, and the Russian leader has said Trump’s election is an opportunity to restore the relationship between the two world powers.
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