President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first formal meeting in more than two years started with an awkward handshake and ended without a breakthrough on Syria, a crisis that has strained their already tense relationship.
On the biggest issue that divides them in Syria – the status of embattled leader Bashar Assad – Obama and Putin left their discussions Monday exactly where they started. The U.S. still insists Syria’s future cannot include Assad, while Putin appears to only want to bolster the standing of his longtime ally, casting him as the best defence against Islamic States militants.
Even so, both …read more
Source: The Nigerian Times