04/10/2013 16:34
Kremlin regrets cancellation of Putin-Obama meeting
Kremlin regrets cancellation of Putin-Obama meeting due to US leader's non-attendance at APEC summit in Bali, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said, The Voice of Russia reports.
Kremlin regrets that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama will be unable to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali after Obama cancelled his trip to Indonesia due to the US government shutdown, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"We regret that this meeting will not take place because, on the whole, there is certainly an extensive need in bilateral relations to continue dialogue at the highest level due to the presence of multiple issues on the bilateral agenda and, primarily, on the international agenda, topped by Syria," Peskov said.
The Russian authorities treat "the ongoing situation in the United States" with understanding, he said.
"We hope that this situation will be sorted out. We also look forward to the next opportunity to hold such a bilateral meeting," Peskov said.
When asked whether Putin could meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Bali, Peskov said that such a meeting would most likely take place between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.