Obama, Putin to meet face-to-face for first time in 10 months at UN General Assembly

President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet face-to-face Monday for the first time in ten months amid increasing Russian influence in the Middle East, as well as the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Underscoring their deep differences, the U.S. and Russia couldn’t even agree on the purpose of the meeting, which will occur on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The White House said it would focus on Ukraine and getting Moscow to live up to a fragile peace plan. The Kremlin said Ukraine would be discussed only if time allowed, with Syria and the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) dominating the discussions.

The latest measure of Russia’s growing role in the war-torn region came Sunday, when the Iraqi military announced it would begin sharing “”security and intelligence” information with Russia, Syria and Iran to help combat ISIS. Meanwhile, Moscow is ramping up its involvement in Syria in defense of its ally Bashar Assad, with activists saying that Russian soldiers on the ground in Syria.

The move could further complicate U.S. efforts to battle the extremists without working with Damascus and its allies. A U.S.-led coalition has been conducting aerial bombing campaigns against ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria, but U.S. officials insist they have no coordination with Tehran or Damascus on the matter.

Hours prior to their encounter, Obama and Putin will each have a chance to make their case to a broader audience of world leaders gathered in New York. Obama will address the body at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET Monday, with Putin scheduled to follow approximately one hour and 45 minutes later.

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