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Obama, Putin discuss Syria, Ukraine during climate talks

Posted November 30, 2015 6:00 am

By NANCY BENAC and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands at the COP21 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press

LE BOURGET, France (AP) - President Barack Obama is urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to decrease tensions with Turkey following the shoot-down of a Russian jet by Turkish forces.

Obama and Putin met briefly on the sidelines of global climate talks outside Paris. The White House says Obama expressed regret for the death of a Russian pilot and crew member in that incident.

The White House says Obama told Assad that Syrian President Bashar Assad must leave power in the transition to end Syria's civil war. Obama is also calling on Russia to focus its airstrikes in Syria on Islamic State militants, not rebels fighting Assad.

The Kremlin says both Obama and Putin expressed urgency for a political resolution in Syria during their 30-minute meeting. The two leaders also discussed implementing a ceasefire in Ukraine.

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives to deliver remarks during the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Le Bourget, outside Paris, on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and U.S. President Barack Obama, rear, attend the COP21 UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press

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