VOA

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, September 5, 2016.

HANGZHOU, CHINA —

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov failed for a second consecutive day Monday to reach an agreement on a cease-fire deal for Syria that would allow more humanitarian aid to reach people in the war-ravaged country.

The diplomats met in Hangzhou, China where world leaders were gathered for the Group of 20 Nations Leaders Summit. A potential cease-fire would involve the Syrian government, a Russian ally, and rebels supported by the United States to aid some of the millions of Syrians in need of food and medical supplies.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had their own sideline meeting in Hangzhou on Monday. Details of what they discussed were not immediately released.

Russian President Putin is quoted as saying the Syrian conflict can only be resolved through political means.

Moscow has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but the United States has worked with moderate opposition forces fighting Assad.

"But if we do not get some buy-in from the Russians on reducing the violence and easing the humanitarian crisis, then it's difficult to see how we get to the next phase," said Obama.

FILE - Men inspect a damaged building after airstrikes on a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, Aug. 27, 2016.

Kerry-Lavrov meeting

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss Syria Sunday and the two will meet again Monday.

“It's fair to say that out of the review I think there are a couple of tough issues that we talked about today," Kerry told reporters after the meeting, but declined to give details. “We will meet tomorrow morning and see whether or not it is possible to bridge the gap and come to a conclusion on these couple of issues.”

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the two sides are close to a deal and that they are talking about the most serious issues of implementing a cease-fire. "The most intense work is continuing,” Ryabkov said. "Until we lay the last brick... We can't say that the results have been achieved."

The civil war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people, displaced 11 million and led to a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe.

A civilian carries a child as he walks with others after they were evacuated by the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters from an Islamic State-controlled neighborhood of Manbij, in Aleppo Governate, Syria, August 12, 2016.

The conflict is also contributing to a rise in militant Islamist groups. U.S. and Russian military officials have been meeting for weeks to try and work out the terms of the deal. Previous cease-fire agreements have failed to last for long as both back opposite sides in the five-year war.