Syria Ceasefire Deal Still Elusive, but US and Russian Talks to Resume Monday

HANGZHOU, China -- U.S. diplomatic negotiations with Russia toward a ceasefire in Syria that would ground Bashar Al-Assad's Air Force in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach suffering civilians have fallen short so far, but Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet again Monday at a summit of global economic powers in China to continue discussions, Kerry said Sunday.

The secretary of state declined to reveal what outstanding issues are keeping the U.S. and Russia from reaching a deal, but one official says Russia balked on several points -- delaying an announcement anticipated on Sunday.

President Obama said Sunday at the G20 summit that Kerry and Lavrov "have been working around the clock, as well as a number of other negotiators, to see what would a real cessation of hostilities look like that could provide that humanitarian access and provide people in places like Aleppo relief."

But with previous ceasefire agreements in Syria having failed, the president said U.S. officials remain skeptical that talks will produce lasting peace.

"We're not there yet, and, understandably, given the previous failures of cessations of hostilities to hold, we approach it with some skepticism, but it is worth trying," he said. "To the extent that there are children and women and innocent civilians who can get food and medical supplies and get some relief from the constant terror of bombings, that's worth the effort, and I think it's premature for us to say that there is a clear path forward, but there is the possibility at least for us to make some progress on that front."

Russia and the U.S. are looking to achieve a ceasefire between Al-Assad's government and U.S.-backed rebels that would expand access to aid for hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire.