The officials said that the decision was made prior to Trump 's participation in the G-20 summit and July 7 meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin . Several officials characterized the decision as a " major concession " to Russia , with one remarking : " Putin won in Syria . " However , another official stated that ending the program was not a major concession due to Assad 's recent victories in the Syrian Civil War , but rather " a signal to Putin that the administration wants to improve ties to Russia . " Some members of the Obama administration reportedly had wished to scrap the program because some rebels armed and trained by the program had joined ISIL and related groups
G-20 summit
2017 G20 Hamburg summit
Timber Sycamore