ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised the work of Ban Ki-moon on the post of the UN Secretary-General, they also discussed the situation around Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"On the whole, Putin highly assessed the work of Ban Ki-moon on the post of the UN Secretary-General, taking into account the fact that he is about to complete his mission. And, certainly, in the presence of (Staffan) de Mistura (UN Special Envoy for Syria), the sides gave major attention to Syria," Peskov said.

On Thursday, the Russian president and the UN chief had a meeting on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Mr. Ban said Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, supports international peace and security. The UN chief thanked Putin for his work on global problems and suggested discussing the situation in Syria.