Putin, Obama admit disagreement on Syria but pledge cooperation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama admitted Monday, June 17 they disagreed on how to respond to the civil war in Syria but said they are both committed to ending the violence that has ravaged the country over the past two years, RIA Novosti reported.

“With respect to Syria, we do have differing perspectives on the problem, but we share an interest in reducing the violence; securing chemical weapons and ensuring that they're neither used nor are they subject to proliferation; and that we want to try to resolve the issue through political means, if possible,” Obama said in comments released by the White House.

Putin offered a similar assessment. “Our opinions do not yet coincide,” Putin told reporters after his talks with Obama.

“But we are united in our intention to end the violence, end the rise of innocent victims in Syria, (and) resolve the problem through peaceful means,” Putin said, adding that he and Obama had agreed to “push” the two sides to the negotiating table in Geneva.

Discussions about the Syrian conflict were widely expected to take center stage at the meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.

The United States has vowed to step up its support for the Syrian opposition, including military aid, in the wake of fresh claims that Syrian government forces have used chemical weapons multiple times during the conflict.