President Obama spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin today on a range of bilateral and global issues. They discussed the situation in Syria, including preparations for the Geneva II conference and the ongoing international program to remove and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. They discussed U.S.-Russian cooperation in the P5+1 process on Iran and the start this week of implementation of the Joint Plan of Action, which will halt progress on Iran’s nuclear program and roll it back in key respects.
The two Presidents also discussed how best to advance shared U.S.-Russian interests, including a safe and secure Sochi Olympics, for which the United States has offered its full assistance. Finally, the Presidents agreed to work on concrete steps to increase bilateral trade and investment.