President Barack Obama wrapped up his final G20 meetings Monday confronting two of his prickly global counterparts, saying his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was “candid, blunt and businesslike” but didn’t yield a deal on ending the violence in Syria.
Obama said that he and Putin have had “productive conversations” about negotiating a “real cessation of hostilities” the war-torn Middle East Country, but that “gaps of trust” have prevented reaching an agreement.
“Given the gaps of trust that exist, that’s a tough negotiation, and we haven’t yet closed the gaps in a way where we think it would actually work,” Obama said.
But he noted that he’d tasked Secretary of State John Kerry with resuming talks about a ceasefire.
Putin, Obama said, is “less colorful” than another confrontational leader, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who earlier Monday warned Obama against raising his controversial record combating drug crime in an anticipated meeting.
Obama and Duterte were set to meeting in Laos this week, where Obama is traveling next to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders.
Obama suggested Monday his planned meeting Duterte may not go forward.
“I always want to make sure if I’m having a meeting that it’s productive and we’re getting something done,” Obama said during his news conference.
“If and when we have a meeting, this is something that is going to be brought up,” Obama said, referring to a spate of extrajudicial killings of purported drug dealers that have transpired since Duterte took officer earlier this year.
White House officials said last week that Obama would confront Duterte about the killings.
But Duterte did not take kindly to that notion.
“Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people,” Duterte scoffed in a speech Monday. “Son of a b****, I will swear at you.”
The news conference wrapped up a three-day stay in Hangzhou, in which Obama also met with the leaders of China, the United Kingdom and Turkey — all countries with complicated but integral relationships to the US.
It was one of Obama’s final chances to engage in face-to-face diplomacy with his counterparts before a new president is elected in November. Many leaders are already looking ahead to January, when either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump assumes the business of state.
Before then, Obama hopes to leave US relationships on a steady footing, though world events and uncooperative leaders could complicate matters.
In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Obama raised disputes over cyberwarfare, maritime aggression and human rights. But in a show of unity, both countries submitted carbon reduction plans to the United Nations.
A session with Theresa May focused on the newly installed British prime minister’s plan to execute an orderly exit from the European Union.
And talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an centered on July’s coup attempt and Turkey’s insistence the US extradite a cleric accused of plotting the attempted overthrow.
Obama departs China Monday evening local time for Laos. He’ll be the first sitting US president to visit the small Southeast Asian nation.