( CNN ) -- President Barack Obama met with leaders of several Russian social activist groups Friday , an event that likely touched on the sensitive subject of gay rights in the nation amid tensions over Syria . Earlier this year , Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law passed by parliament that bans the public discussion of gay rights and relationships where children might hear it . Violators can be fined and , if they are foreigners , deported . Obama , who has advocated gay rights and same-sex marriage , has said that `` nobody 's more offended than me '' by the Russian law . In connecting with the nine activists , Obama spoke about his own foray into politics . `` I got my start as a community organizer , somebody who was working in what would be called an NGO in the international community , '' he said . `` I got elected president by engaging people at a grass-roots level . '' He further called the activists ' work `` critically important '' to open society . `` I 'm very proud of their work , '' Obama said . `` Part of good government is making sure we 're creating a space for civil society . '' Critics say the Russian law is so vague that anyone can be prosecuted for wearing a rainbow T-shirt or holding hands in public with someone of the same sex . At the event Friday in Russia , Obama met with representatives of groups that support a range of causes , including media freedom , protection of the environment and lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender rights . The controversy over the law is one of several disputes between the United States and Russia , including the question of possible military action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Moscow 's decision to shelter National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden . Obama and Putin met briefly Thursday at the Group of 20 summit meeting in St. Petersburg , Russia , shaking hands and exchanging a few words . Officials said the two leaders could have a longer meeting on the margins of the event . Obama had previously canceled a summit meeting with Putin scheduled around the G20 event after Russia gave temporary asylum to Snowden , whom the United States wants to prosecute for leaking documents about NSA surveillance programs . It said at the time that considerations on a variety of issues went into the decision to cancel the meeting .
President Barack Obama is in St. Petersburg , Russia , for the G20 summit meeting . He has criticized a Russian law limiting public discussion of gay rights . The U.S. and Russia also disagree on issues such as Syria and Edward Snowden . Obama and Vladimir Putin briefly exchanged words on Thursday .