Monday's meeting between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken on new importance as both countries are now openly arming opposite sides in the Syrian conflict.
Last week, the White House said it had concluded the government of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is using chemical weapons to put down the nation's rebel uprising. As a result, the White House said the U.S. will provide direct military aid to the rebels.
Obama has made no decision about establishing a no-fly zone over Syria, a move being urged by the rebel council and by a number of Republican U.S. Senators.
The United Nations has revised its death toll figures on the Syrian uprising to more than 90,000 killed as of the end of March, with weekly deaths having escalated to about 5,000.
Obama and Putin are meeting as part of the G8 economic summit in Northern Ireland.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.