US: No deal on Syria, blames Russian backtracking

The US said Sunday it had not yet struck a hoped-for deal with Russia on stemming the violence in Syria’s brutal civil war, blaming Moscow for backtracking on issues it thought were settled. President Barack Obama said earlier that the two sides were “working around the clock” on the sidelines of a summit in China, […]

The US said Sunday it had not yet struck a hoped-for deal with Russia on stemming the violence in Syria’s brutal civil war, blaming Moscow for backtracking on issues it thought were settled.
President Barack Obama said earlier that the two sides were “working around the clock” on the sidelines of a summit in China, but that it was “a very complicated piece of business.”
The State Department said a deal was close and could be announced by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, but hours later admitted defeat for now.
“Russians walked back on some of the areas we thought we were agreed on, so we are going back to capitals to consult,” a senior State Department official said.
Kerry and Lavrov will meet again on Monday in Hangzhou, where G20 leaders are gathered, he added.