CFR Daily News Brief: Obama and Putin to Meet on Syria, Ukraine

September 28, 2015 Daily News Brief

TOP OF THE AGENDA Obama and Putin to Meet on Syria, Ukraine U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet (NBC) on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Monday for the first time in almost a year. The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. The sit-down comes amid reports of a possible international "contact group" (Guardian) to aim to resolve the Syrian crisis, concerns over a Russian military buildup in Syria, and an agreement (WSJ) on intelligence sharing and security cooperation between Iraq, Iran, Russia, and Syria to counter the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Meanwhile, Obama, Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are among the leaders scheduled to address (UNGA) the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.

ANALYSIS "But the urgency of the humanitarian crisis, now with the potential to destabilize Europe as well—along with Russia’s dangerous new escalation—means we must revisit some fundamental questions about a conflict that is tearing the region apart. What’s needed is a new diplomatic process that brings all the key external actors to the table and agrees on a messy compromise to deescalate the conflict—even if that means putting off agreement on the question of Assad," writes CFR's Philip Gordon in Politico. "Putin has long railed against the evils of a 'unipolar world,' that is, a world in which only America calls the shots, without the countervailing forces of Russian policy. Now, the reticence of the Obama administration to do more in Syria gives Putin a much wider seat at the table and a much louder voice in determining what a political solution in what’s left of Syria looks like," writes Julia Ioffe in Foreign Policy. "Mr Putin could play a positive role in this, if he chooses to use his power to nudge Mr Assad towards talks rather than goad him into battle. Western diplomats could help, too. Rather than scuttling aside to make way for Russia, they might instead use Mr Putin's deeper and more dangerous exposure to extract concessions, such as an end to Mr Assad's deadly barrel-bombing of civilians. But if Russia decides it can impose a military solution, it may be in for trouble. 'This conflict has the fuel to last a few more years,' warns Mr Hokayem," writes the Economist.