WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will push Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain how his country’s military presence in Syria will contribute to the defeat the Islamic State when the two leaders meet next week, White House officials said yesterday.
Obama and Putin will hold a bilateral meeting on Monday afternoon during the three-day session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“There’s a lot of talk and now it’s time for clarity and for Russia to come clean and come clear on just exactly how it proposes to be a constructive contributor to what is already an ongoing multi-nation coalition,” said Celeste Wallander, the White House National Security Council’s senior director for Russia.
Wallander added that Russia’s argument that its recently enhanced military presence in the region will counter Islamic State, “doesn’t really hold water.”
Obama will also press Putin to live up to commitments Russia made in February to pull its military out of Ukraine by the end of the year, Wallander said.
In a meeting scheduled for Monday morning with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Obama is expected to discuss India’s commitments to fighting climate change ahead of an international conference on climate scheduled for December in Paris.
Obama will also have the opportunity to talk to Cuban President Raul Castro at some point during the meeting, the White House said.
The White House said Obama will likely meet with other leaders, but he is not expected to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani despite the nuclear deal Washington and other world partners recently reached with Tehran.
Obama is planning to speak on poverty, peace keeping, and efforts to counter violent extremism around the world at the meeting, the White House said.
