Talks with Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande 2016-10-20 01:50:00 Berlin President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande exchanged views on a Syrian settlement. The Russian delegation at the talks included Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Before the meeting, President Putin had a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , during which the sides discussed the situation around Aleppo in light of the humanitarian pause and also developments in Syria as a whole.