Obama to Putin: Humanitarian Access to Besieged Areas of Syria Vital

US President Barack Obama has urged Russian Federation to stop bombing “moderate” rebels in Syria in support of its ally Bashar al-Assad, a campaign seen in the West as a major obstacle to latest efforts to end the war.

People inspect the damage at a site hit with airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces in the rebel held Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, February 14, 2016. US officials have decried the strategy, saying Putin is desperate to keep Assad in power since Russia’s sole remaining military base in the Middle East lies near Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

“In particular, the President of Russia noted the need to organise close working contacts between the Russian Defence Ministry and the US Department of Defence, which would make it possible to combat ISIS and other terrorist organisations in more effective and better-planned fashion”, read the statement.

The White House said Obama’s discussion with Putin stressed the need to rush humanitarian aid to Syria and contain air strikes.

The group is trying to further outline the “cessation of hostilities” or informal ceasefire announced by the US secretary of state and Russia’s foreign minister on Friday.

After a phone call between Putin and Obama, confirmed by the White House on Sunday, the Kremlin said both gave a “positive valuation” to the Munich meeting.

Obama and Putin discussed Ukraine in their phone call Saturday, both the White House and the Kremlin said.

“The President reiterated the importance of quickly reaching agreement on the modalities for elections in eastern Ukraine that comply with [Organized Security and Cooperation in Europe] standards”, the statement said.