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Putin: Russia could join air strikes against Islamic State

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of Russian involvement in the military campaign against the so-called Islamic State (IS) during their meeting on Monday.

In a meeting on the sidelines of the event, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin agreed a political solution to the crisis was necessary, but continue to disagree on the fate of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad.

Obama labeled Assad a "tyrant", but Putin said it would be an "enormous mistake" to refuse to work with the Syrian government.

Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

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Obama: 30,000 troops pledged to future UN peacekeeping

Fifty countries have pledged over 30,000 new troops and police for possible deployment on United Nations peacekeeping missions, US president Barack Obama has said.

More than 50 countries, from Bangladesh to Colombia, from Finland to China, are making commitments totaling more than 30,000 new troops and police.

– Barack Obama

Mr Obama was speaking at a summit of world leaders organised by the US to boost global support for UN peacekeeping missions.

The Syrian crisis has dominated the agenda throughout the meetings in New York.

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