US President Barack Obama at a press conference at the Group of 20 economic summit in China on Sunday. Hangzhou, China: The United States is sceptical an agreement with Russia to end violence in Syria can work but will keep pursuing it nonetheless, President Barack Obama said on Sunday as negotiators from both countries edged toward a deal. US officials have said that as part of a deal, Russia would have to halt offensives by Assad’s government, something it has failed to do over months of diplomatic efforts. Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to huddle on the sidelines of the summit, the White House said. Since the failed coup, the US has been alarmed by Turkey’s diplomatic flirtations with Russia, Assad’s patron, and softened demand for Assad’s exclusion from a political transition.

Source: Mint September 04, 2016 06:45 UTC