HANGZHOU /China/, September 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he and U.S. President Barack Obama had managed to reach understanding of each other and of problems facing the two countries.
"We [with Obama] basically had a discussion to look into details. I think we reached understanding of each other and of the problems we both are facing. Some technical aspects still need further elaboration and if [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry and [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov manage to do it, we will make one more step forward on the problems of Syrian settlement," Putin said at a news conference after the Group of Twenty summit.
First US needs to lift sanctions
Washington needs to seek possible compromises and scrap its sanctions in regard to Russia if it wants to improve its relations with Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"If they are taking steps aimed at deteriorating our relations and we cannot evade them, there are decisions, including those of a sanctions’ character," Putin told journalists following the G20 summit. "If they (the United States) wish to restore relations they have to simply cancel these decisions (on sanctions)."
The Russian president also said that the prospect of bilateral relations require "not only the resolution of existing problems for the unilateral favor, as the current leadership is doing (in the United States), but should seek compromises effective for the benefit of both cooperating countries."
Rapprochement over Syria
Agreements with the United States on Syria may be reached within several days, Putin revealed.
"It is early now to speak of any parameters of our agreements, but I hope very much that the agreements will be reached, and I have the grounds to believe that this may happen within a few days," the Russian leader said. "We can say that our joint work with the United States in the fight against terrorist organizations, including in Syria, will be considerably improved and intensified."
We cannot be sure about anyone’s aims with 100-percent certainty and completely, but the dialog over Syria is proceeding with the Turkish partners and with the American ones," Putin told a news conference following the G20 summit.
Putin said that Moscow did not support and could not support anything that might run counter to international law.
In his opinion, "against all odds we have a certain rapprochement and understanding of what we might do to ease tensions in Syria and achieve mutually acceptable solutions."
"I don’t think I’m in a position to say this for certain right away, because the US Department of State and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs are still finalizing our preliminary arrangements. But I believe that we are on the right track and might agree for a certain period of time on the steps to be taken together - resolute steps, let me stress that once again - to improve the situation in Syria," Putin said.
"Naturally, we will have to have a word with the Syrian government, to inform other partners, including Iran," Putin said.
The Russian leader underscored that the United States is among Russia’s key partners in the sphere of security and on other issues and Moscow has never been seeking to dodge such contacts.