Obama to Ask Putin to Consider Contributions to US-Led Anti-ISIL Campaign

US President Barack Obama will encourage Moscow to contribute to the anti-Islamic State campaign during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A meeting between Obama and Putin could help to coordinate the countries’ efforts in Syria, Earnest added.

"President Obama will encourage President Putin to consider constructive contributions to the ongoing counter ISIL effort," Earnest said. "There are more than 60 nations that are involved in implementing a strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL and we'd like to see the Russians make a constructive contribution to that ongoing effort."

The US-led international coalition has been conducting airstrikes against ISIL positions in the country, as well as in Iraq.

Russia has repeatedly criticized the coalition for not first seeking approval from either the UN Security Council or the Syrian government before launching the campaign and called on the West and its allies to join forces with Damascus in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin and Obama would meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.

"A meeting like this does have the potential for giving the United States greater insight into exactly what Russia’s intentions are," Earnest said in a briefing. "It could potentially lay the groundwork for better coordination [on Syrian crisis]."

President Putin has recently confirmed that Russia was providing "considerable" support to Damascus in terms of equipment, training and weaponry to fight the terrorists.

Following the statement, the United States has raised concerns about Russia’s presence in Syria, with Pentagon officials discussing the possibility of setting up a "deconfliction mechanism" in the event Russian and US military operations occur in the same area.

“The President [Obama] and his team have concluded that there is the potential for something constructive to come out of a meeting between the Russian President and President Obama,” Earnest said in a briefing.

Earnest noted he did not expect any major announcements following the conversation of the two leaders, but stated the meeting could lay the groundwork for more constructive conversations and more effective cooperation between the United States and Russia.

The press secretary also said the situation in Syria was not what President Obama believes is the most pressing issue between the two countries.

“There's some serious issues that the United States and Russia have to discuss and the president [Obama] is not going to shy away from raising our significant concerns with Russia's behavior in Ukraine and other places around the world,” he added.

Earnest noted, however, he would not anticipate significant overt hostility during the meeting.