Just before President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for the first time in almost a year, the two leaders will speak before the General Assembly at the United Nations.
One of the big talking points is bound to be Syria. That's in part because Russia has become more assertive in the region. It's been building up its military presence in Syria and it has been collaborating more closely with Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State.
As NPR's Scott Horsley told Morning Edition, the meeting is a turnaround for the two countries. Here's how Scott explained it:
"The administration has been trying to isolate Russia since early last year, to protest what Washington views as the illegal annexation of Crimea as well as Russia's continued meddling in eastern Ukraine. What's changed now is Russia is sending tanks and airplanes into Syria, propping up Moscow's long-time ally Bashar Assad, whom the US insists has lost his authority to lead that country." "In an interview with 60 Minutes that aired last night, Putin says he's just trying to keep a lid on the large number of Russians who've traveled to Syria to join the fight against Assad."
Via the U.N., we've included a live feed of the General Assembly proceedings at the top of this post. We'll watch Obama's address and update this post with more.
Update at 9:56 a.m. ET. Obama Up Next:
Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff is now speaking before the General Assembly. President Obama is scheduled to speak next.
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