Hours before the top diplomats from his nation and the United States begin a high-stakes meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin took to The New York Times to argue against military intervention in Syria and jab his U.S. counterpart. Using an op-ed "to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders ... at a time of insufficient communication between our societies," Putin made a case much like U.S. President Barack Obama did Tuesday night -- although their arguments could hardly have been more different. Striking Syria would have many negative ramifications, Putin argued in a piece that went online Wednesday night, including the killing of innocent people, spreading violence around the Middle East, clouding diplomatic efforts to address Iran's nuclear crisis and resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and "unleash(ing) a new wave of terrorism."
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Putin's op-ed is "irrelevant" and he "needs to deliver" on Syria, U.S. official says
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U.S.-funded weapons began reaching Syrian rebels 2 weeks ago, official says
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In a New York Times op-ed, Putin says striking Syria will hurt the region and world
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Russian counterpart Thursday
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(He did not mention the fact Russia has long supplied arms to @placeholder's government, or that U.S. officials have said they are funneling aid only to members of what they call the "moderate opposition.")
Barack Obama
The Russian president ended his op-ed -- just after mentioning a "growing trust" between him and his U.S. counterpart -- with a swipe at a remark @placeholder made Tuesday contending that "with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run."
Barack Obama
In his speech Tuesday, @placeholder said he was willing to test the seriousness and feasibility of the initiative before resuming his push for congressional authorization for military action, which at the moment appears unlikely to succeed.
John Kerry
@placeholder is taking the lead in dealing with the Russians.
Barack Obama
While @placeholder has said he wants to give the diplomatic process a chance, he hasn't said how long he'll wait before possibly pushing again for military action.
John Kerry
Analysts say @placeholder, as leader of the U.S. diplomatic efforts, has his work cut out for him.