Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with US President Donald Trump the crisis in Syria and counter-terrorism on the sideline of the G20 Summit currently being held in Hamburg, Germany

 

During a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Putin said that he and Trump talked at length about a large number of issues, which included the crisis in Syria and fighting terrorism.

At the beginning of his meeting with Trump, Putin said that phone calls alone aren’t sufficient to resolve issues and meeting in person is necessary.

In the same context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a press conference after the aforementioned meeting that Russian, American, and Jordanian experts reached an agreement on a memo of understanding for establishing a de-escalation zone in Daraa, Quneitra, and Sweida, and that a ceasefire will begin in these areas as of July 9th at noon.

Lavrov said that there’s confirmation to the US and Jordan’s commitment to the unity and integrity of Syrian territory, adding that Russian military police will preserve security around de-escalation zones.

He also said that the how de-escalation zones in Homs and al-Ghouta will look in was also discussed during the Astana meetings, and talks about a similar zone in the north are still ongoing.

Source: SANA