Obama and Putin agree to continue Syria talks
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HANGZHOU -- President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to keep up negotiations over a cease-fire agreement for Syria.
That's according to a senior Obama administration official who would not be named discussing the private talks.
The official says Obama and Putin met for 90 minutes on Monday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in Hangzhou, China. Their discussion came hours after top U.S. and Russian diplomats failed to seal a deal aimed at providing access to humanitarian aid for thousands of civilians in the war-torn country.
The plan would forge an unlikely U.S.-Russian militarily partnership against extremist groups operating in Syria.
The official says Obama and Putin clarified the remaining gaps in the talks, which largely involve how the deal would be implemented.
The official says the two leaders directed their teams to meet again quickly, possible as soon as later this week.
