Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin are to meet for the first time in two years during this week’s 70th session of United Nations General
Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin are to meet for the first time in two years during this week’s 70th session of United Nations General Assembly.
It’s expected the two leaders will discuss the Syria conflict and Russia’s military buildup in the war torn country.
On Sunday Obama called on wealthy nations to act to help refugees.
“Today some 60,000,000 men, women and children have been forced from their homes, many by conflicts in the Middle East and Africa (…) And those countries that can must do more to accommodate refugees (…) but our efforts must be matched by the hard work of diplomacy and reconciliation to end conflicts that so often tear societies apart.”
Ahead of today’s meeting, in a recorded interview with US networks Vladimir Putin said Syria’s president deserved international support.
“There is only one legitimate army in Syria and it’s the army of President Bashar al-Assad. In my view, (providing) military support to illegitimate structures is not in keeping with the principles of modern international law or with the United Nations charter. We (Russia) support only legal and governmental structures.”
President Putin is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly today for the first time in a decade.