President Obama at a press conference in the Philippines said he spoke to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin about strategy in the push against ISIL. The President said these discussions were, “repeated discussions, first in New York at the UNGA, and more recently in Turkey.”
The President says he has, “welcomed Moscow going after ISIL.” “The problem has been in their initial military incursion into Syria, they have been more focused on propping up President Assad.”
The President seems to think that Putin might shift his focus “in the wake of the Russian airliner bombing.”. Putin did, in fact, promise vengeance to those responsible for the bomb on Flight 9268. He had said earlier in the day, “We will find them [those responsible] anywhere on the planet.”
Obama said what he would like to see is Putin shift “his focus and the focus of his military, to what is the principle threat, which is ISIL, then that is what we want to see.”
The catch, according to the President, is that “Moscow is still interested in keeping Assad in power.”
It is interesting to note the President is choosing the focus of a war he said clearly he would not send ground troops in to fight.
Putin, in the meanwhile, recently returned from the G20 Summit, has announced that 40 countries are supporting ISIL, including many who are part of the G20 Summit.
Source: jpupdates
President Obama Tells Prime Minister Putin Where to Put His Targets