Trump, Putin agree there is 'no military solution' in Syria, no election meddling

The United States and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was "no military solution" to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam.

There had been mixed messages for days from both Moscow and the White House on whether President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would hold face-to-face discussions during the APEC summit in Danang.

The pair were seen sharing cordial handshakes and brief conversations three times during the summit but there were no sit-down talks between the two. The statement, issued by officials from both sides, said the two presidents had made progress on Syria, which has been battered by six years of civil war.

The US and Russia have backed competing factions in the bloody conflict, and agreement between them on the next steps towards peace is rare.

"The presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria," the statement said, adding that the two sides "confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS" - an alternative name for the Islamic State group.

The statement added that the two sides had agreed to keep military channels open to avoid potential clashes over Syria and urged the warring sides to participate in UN-led peace talks in Geneva.

Russia has run a major bombing campaign in Syria since 2015, when it stepped in to support President Bashar al-Assad's fight against rebels - some of them US-backed - tipping the conflict in his favour.

Overly amicable talks between Trump and Putin in Vietnam risked being an awkward sell for the White House as it vigorously denies any undue links with the Kremlin.

Trump's relationship with Moscow

Trump's relationship with Moscow has haunted the first year of his presidency, with key former aides under a US investigation for alleged collaboration with the Kremlin.

Trump, who has previously called allegations of campaign collusion with Moscow a hoax, has faced questions from Democrats about the matter since he took office. A special counsel, Robert Mueller, is conducting a probe that has led to charges against Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates.

US intelligence agencies have also concluded Russians interfered to tip the election in Trump's favour through hacking and releasing emails to embarrass Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and spreading social media propaganda.

After the pair met on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Trump said he believes Putin was sincere when he denied meddling in the US election that propelled Trump to power, adding that the Russian leader felt "very insulted" by the allegations.