Obama, Putin Talks ‘Surprisingly Open’ After Frosty Beginning

Stark differences remain between the United States and Russia over Syria, but Vladimir Putin said Monday that his first formal talks with President Obama in two years had been “very constructive and surprisingly open.”

 

After a toast that was anything but toasty, the two leaders sat down for a summit meeting at the U.N. General Assembly.

 

There were no breakthroughs but their face-to-face talks, originally scheduled for an hour, ran for 90 minutes, ending about 6:40 p.m. ET.

 

“We have a lot in common,” Putin told reporters afterwards. While “disputes remain,” he declared that “we have sound grounds to work on the points of concern together.”

 

Neither leader showed much warmth in front of the cameras, and Obama pointedly refused to return Putin’s smile during an awkward toast at dinner, remaining grim-looking and stone-faced.

 

Read More: Obama, Putin Talks ‘Surprisingly Open’ After Frosty Beginning – NBC News