Putin, Obama differ on Bashar al-Assad’s future

Russia and the United States agreed on Monday (28 September) to look for a diplomatic end to the Syrian civil war, but clashed over the central question of whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should retain power.

During a 90-minute meeting, US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that their armed forces should hold talks to avoid coming into conflict in Syria after a Russian military buildup there over the last several weeks.