President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting informally on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in China.
White House spokesman Ned Price says more details about the meeting will be released later in the day. The meeting is taking place in private.
Obama's meeting with Putin comes as the U.S. and Russia are negotiating to try to reach an agreement to end the violence in Syria's long-running civil war. Top diplomats for both countries have thus far been unable to reach an agreement.
Another likely topic is Ukraine. The U.S. has been concerned about growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
The latest round of talks about curbing the violence in Syria have ended without a deal.
A senior State Department official says Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov failed to overcome differences at a morning meeting.
The diplomats have been trying to broker a cease-fire between Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and moderate rebels that would expand access to humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire. The strategy has hinged on an unlikely U.S.-Russian militarily partnership against extremist groups operating in Syria.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the private negotiations.
