Obama, Putin discuss ways to end Syrian war

The roughly 35-minute meeting in Antalya played out on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit, which brings together leaders from major rich and developing nations. The White House said the two leaders discussed a new proposal to end the Syrian conflict and Obama’s hope that Russia’s airstrikes in Syria will focus solely on the Islamic State and not opposition groups fighting President Bashar Assad of Syria.

The White House also said Obama and Putin agreed that Syria needs a political transition led by Syrians, preceded by negotiations mediated by the United Nations and a cease-fire, the Associated Press reported.

Obama and Putin have long been at odds about whether Assad can maintain a role after that transition.

Obama and Putin also broached the tense topic of Ukraine during an impromptu sit-down Sunday in Turkey. The White House said Obama renewed his call for Russia to withdraw forces, weapons, and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Meeting with world leaders in Turkey less than 48 hours after the Paris massacre, Obama vowed to stand with the French authorities as they hunt down the terrorists, calling the spasms of violence in the center of the city "an attack on the civilized world.”

White House officials said Obama agreed wholeheartedly with President François Hollande of France that the mass killings in Paris were an "act of war” and they promised that the United States would intensify the military campaign against the Islamic State.

Putin urged nations to pool their efforts to combat terrorism, adding that the fight must respect international law, the UN Charter, and each nation’s sovereign rights and interests. "We understand very well that it’s only possible to deal with the terror threat and help millions of people who lost their homes by combining efforts of the entire global community,” he said.

The highly emotional statements from France — in which Hollande promised to be "merciless” — appeared to do little to fundamentally change how Obama or his national security team views the high costs of significantly widening the role of the US military in Iraq and Syria.

Senior national security advisers said the president remains steadfastly opposed to a large-scale ground operation in Iraq and Syria.