Putin to hold talks with U.S.’ Obama, Japan’s Abe in New York - Kremlin

SEMIKARAKORSK /Rostov region/, September 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that talks with President Obama and Prime Minister Abe had been "agreed" and "added to the schedule", noting that both meetings were expected to take place on the same day. Asked about possible topics for discussion between Putin and Obama, Peskov smiled and said: "Guess it in three turns." Peskov also confirmed that Putin was planning to meet U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon while in New York. The Russian leader will address the U.N. General Assembly on Monday. Meetings between Putin and Obama have become rare amid widening differences between the two countries over the Ukraine crisis. The two leaders spoke once on the sidelines of November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Beijing, China, last year but they only had a brief exchange of views. In recent months, their contacts have been reduced to occasional telephone conversations. Putin’s contacts with the Japanese prime minister have also become less frequent due to events in Ukraine and Tokyo’s joining Western sanctions against Moscow. The Russian president was expected to make a visit to Japan, but Tokyo has not confirmed its timeframe since last year, although it sent a respective invitation to Moscow a long time ago. Read more