12 November,2017 09:34 AM IST | Moscow | Agencies
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin confirmed their commitment and determination to defeat the Islamic State
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed there was "no military solution" for the war in Syria, in a joint statement approved on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific summit, the Kremlin said. "The presidents agreed that the conflict in Syria has no military solution," and confirmed their "determination to defeat ISIL", the Kremlin website said, using an acronym for the Islamic State jihadist group. The two talked at the summit in Vietnam's Danang after several days of uncertainty over whether a meeting would take place.
Vladimir Putin (left) and Donald Trump had kept the world guessing about whether they would formally meet in Vietnam. Pic/AFP
"The presidents confirmed their commitment to Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and secular nature," and urged the warring sides to participate in UN-led peace talks in Geneva, the Kremlin said. The presidents' joint statement also "expressed satisfaction" with efforts to prevent incidents between their respective forces in Syria, "which allowed to considerably increase ISIL losses over the last few months." The Russian military has recently accused US of merely "pretending" to fight IS in Iraq and of hindering the Russian-backed offensive in Syria.
