Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump 'agree on defeating Islamic State in Syria'
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have agreed to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria, the Kremlin said.
The Russian and US presidents reached an agreement during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Vietnam on Saturday.
A Kremlin spokesman said they agreed to support existing communication channels to ensure the security of the US and Russian armed forces, as well as to prevent dangerous incidents involving the forces of partners fighting IS.
The spokesman said they confirmed that these efforts will continue until the final defeat of IS.
They also agreed that the Syrian conflict "does not have a military solution," and that final resolution must come in the framework of the so-called Geneva Process.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump say they welcome President Bashar Assad's "recent statement of commitment" to the Geneva process for resolving the conflict in Syria.
Assad's commitment to the process, in line with a UN Security Council resolution, implies "constitutional reform and free and fair elections under the supervision of the United Nations" in which all Syrians can participate, including those in the diaspora, a Kremlin spokesman said.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin also reaffirmed support for de-escalation zones in Syria, including one in the south west that was agreed to in the presidents' previous meeting in July in Germany. They also called on UN members to increase humanitarian aid contributions for Syria.
