Putin says his conversation with Obama was 'very constructive' and 'very frank'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his meeting Monday with President Obama included conversation that was "very constructive, businesslike, and very frank."

"We had some points in common, and we had differences," he told Russian state media. "I think there is still a way we can work together on the problems we all face." Earlier in the day at the United Nations, Obama and French President Francois Hollande both called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside, a notion Putin, an ally of Assad, did not agree with. "I respect my colleagues, the U.S. president and the French president, but I don't think they are Syrian citizens, so I don't think they should be deciding on who should lead Syria," he said. "There can be simultaneous, political change, but President Assad has already said he agrees with that."

A U.S. official told The Guardian the Obama-Putin meeting was "business-like" and "focused," adding: "This was not a situation where either one of them was seeking to score points in a meeting. I think there was a shared desire to figure out a way in which we can address the situation in Syria. We have clarity on their objectives. Their objectives are to go after [the Islamic State] and to support the government." The meeting lasted 94 minutes, more than 30 minutes longer than scheduled.

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