International security

Putin says he can work with Obama despite trading barbs on Syria and Isis

Vladimir Putin emerged from a rare face-to-face meeting with Barack Obama on Monday night, saying Russia and the US could find a way to work together on Syria, despite deep differences over the country’s leadership.

The US-Russian summit lasted 94 minutes, more than half an hour longer than planned, on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly where the two leaders had traded barbs only hours before, particularly over the future of the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad. Speaking to Russian journalists after the meeting, Putin said the two had found at least some common ground on the four-year conflict. The Russian leader described the conversation with Obama as “very constructive, businesslike and very frank”.