Putin, Obama discuss Syria, Ukraine

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin have held frank talks on the Syrian crisis with the US President pressing his Russian counterpart to play a “constructive role” and stop Russia’s air campaign against the war-torn country’s moderate opposition.

The US has urged Turkey to turn its attention to fighting Isis after world powers including the United Kingdom, the US and Russian Federation agreed to pause hostilities in Syria on Friday – an agreement that did not have the backing of the Syrian government or include attacks on Isis or the al-Nusra Front. USA and Russian teams are scheduled to meet early next week to delineate areas that will be off-limits to the Russian airstrikes, a task made hard by differences of opinion on which rebel groups represent legitimate opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to intensify diplomatic and military cooperation to implement a ceasefire and aid delivery in Syria, the Kremlin said early Sunday.

The Kremlin confirmed Mr Putin had a telephone conversation with Mr Obama about the Syrian war, stating the call took place at Washington’s initiative.

I want to be wrong”, McCain said, while voicing fears that “the war in Syria will, in his words, “grind on, more innocent people will die, Western credibility and influence will diminish, the refugees will continue to flow out, [and] the terrorists will continue to flow in”.

The Kremlin press service reported the phone discussion also included moves towards a ceasefire and ways to get humanitarian assistance to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians caught in the crossfire.

But Moscow continued to bomb areas in the provinces of Latakia and Aleppo on Sunday, abetting a regime advance days after the Munich deal.

Norbert Roettgen, German parliamentarian has accepted the views of McCain and said.

The Syria situation has driven relations between the US and Russian Federation to new lows.

So-called local reconciliation agreements are often seen as a means for the government to force surrender on insurgents, and have typically followed lengthy blockades of rebel areas and the civilians living there.

Turkey is also weighing a joint ground assault with Saudi troops. “Russia will support a motion for putting the issue on the UN Security Council’s agenda”.

The U.S. leader also emphasized the importance of humanitarian access to besieged towns and villages in Syria and launching a suspension of fighting across the country.