Obama and Putin to meet; Syria and Ukraine vie for attention
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New York on September 28 at a time of high tension in Europe and the Middle East, but the Kremlin and the White House disagreed on September 24 over the top priority for the talks.
The White House insisted the meeting would focus on eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed forces are fighting the Kiev government, prompting tough sanctions that have damaged Russia's economy.
Moscow said the main focus would be on Syria, where Russia has built up its military forces in recent weeks with combat aircraft, tanks and other equipment in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters: "Of course, the primary topic will be Syria." Asked whether Ukraine would be discussed, he said: "Well, if time allows."
"There will be time," Obama's spokesman, Josh Earnest, retorted during a briefing in Washington. Earnest, speaking at the White House, played down the possibility for any "major announcement" from the meeting.
Obama and Putin will hold a bilateral meeting on September 28 afternoon during the three-day session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the White House said.
White House officials said Obama would push Putin to explain how his country's military presence in Syria will contribute to the defeat of Islamic State.
In an excerpt from an interview on US television, Putin said support for the Assad government was important in fighting the militants.
Past meetings between the two leaders have been frosty. One encounter in June 2013, which also focused on Syria, resulted in a famous photo of the leaders looking distant and glum.