Putin to talk with Obama on Syria crisis in New York

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama during his visit to the UN General Assembly next week, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

"A meeting with Obama has been agreed on," Peskov said.

The two heads of state will talk about an hour on the Syria conflict Monday, and the Ukraine crisis will only be discussed if there is time left in their meeting, he said.

The spokesman added that Putin, who is to address the UN General Assembly on Monday, is also expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

Putin and Obama met last time nearly a year ago in November 2014, when both took part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing.

The crisis in Ukraine has caused the relationship between Washington and Moscow to nosedive, with the United States and its Western allies slapping rounds of sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea and its alleged military involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Tokyo is keen to resolve an ongoing territorial dispute with Moscow, which has been going on for decades and has prevented the two sides from signing an official peace treaty.

In late April, Abe declined Russia's invitation to attend events held in Moscow to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

In light of Abe's refusal to attend Moscow's ceremony, and previous sanctions levied on Russia due to the Ukraine crisis, Putin's visit to Japan this year was far from a done deal and could adversely affect the ongoing territorial impasse between the two sides.