White House Says Obama, Putin Have No Calls Planned to Discuss Syria, Elections

White House is unaware of any plans for a phone conversation or meeting between outgoing US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earnest said he's "not aware of any calls that are planned, but obviously the President [Obama] has had a number of occasions to see his counterpart [Putin] and to talk to him about these issues," when asked if the two leaders planned to talk about the situation in Syria or accusations of Russian cyberattacks.

Earnest also noted that Obama and Putin have not discussed any situation more than they have the ongoing crisis in Syria.

He added that Obama is focused on maintaining US cooperation with Russia in several important areas despite the countries’ disputes over Syria and eastern Ukraine.

"President Obama tries to prevent our disagreements in some areas of Syria and in Ukraine from allowing us to make progress in some other areas," Earnest stated, citing success between Washington and Moscow in space exploration and earlier elimination of chemical stockpiles in Syria.

Amid conflicts in Syria and eastern Ukraine, relations between the two countries have deteriorated to their lowest point in the post-Cold War era.

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