Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Top diplomats from the United States and Russia on Monday failed to reach a deal to ease fighting in Syria, with a senior State Department official saying differences remained.

The official said a fresh round of talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the margins of the G20 summit in Hangzhou had ended without agreement.

President Barack Obama said the US and Russia were working earlier on Sunday to try to finalize a ceasefire in Syria that would allow more deliveries of humanitarian aid in the war-torn country.

Military officials from the United States and Russia, which back opposite sides in Syria’s five-year war, have been meeting for weeks to try to work on terms of a deal.

The civil war has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced 11 million, causing a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe, and contributing to a rise in militant extremist groups.

*AFP