WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Obama and Putin met last on the sidelines of the G20 summit earlier in November. The two leaders discussed efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria and fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in the light of recent attacks in Paris.
“We don’t have anything formally planned with him [Putin] at this time,” Rhodes said on Tuesday.
Rhodes told reporters that Russia can play an important role in the counter-IS coalition and to help support a political transition in Syria.
“With respect to Russia, the clear message is that Russia can play a constructive role in the counter-ISIL [Islamic State] coalition provided they focus their military operations against ISIL,” Rhodes said.
The Paris climate conference, scheduled for November 30 through December 11, will focus on global warming and ways to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Its main goal is to sign a global deal on climate change that would replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.