(VOVworld) – US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about the Syria crisis and the situation in Ukraine on Monday on the sidelines of the 21^st UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris.
During their 30-minute meeting, Obama expressed regret over Turkey's downing of a Russian plane, which was attacking IS targets along the Syrian border on November 24.
The two leaders discussed Syria in detail, and they both spoke in favor of a diplomatic settlement of Syria's civil war. The White House said Obama told Putin that Syrian President Bashar Assad must leave office as part of any transition. They agreed that all involved parties in Ukraine must strictly abide by the Minsk agreement.
In another development, at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, said the EU will continue diplomatic efforts for peace in the Middle East, despite Israel’s announcement it will suspend contact with the EU.