NBC’s Andrea Mitchell: U.S. Trip ‘Was a Public Relations Bonanza’ for Putin

LAUER: “Let’s start with our top story. Presidents Obama and Putin face to face. The meeting behind closed doors ran longer than expected with Putin calling it very constructive and surprisingly open. But this morning a wide gulf remains between the two leaders. NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell is at the U.N. Andrea, good morning to you.”
MITCHELL: “Good morning, Matt. That’s right. In their speeches, the two leaders slammed each other over Syria and Ukraine, but afterwards, at least for the first time in two years, two of the World’s most powerful men actually sat down and talked.” 
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MITCHELL (voice-over): “Moments before their first official meeting in two years, a brief handshake and barely 13 seconds later the photo session was over with no answer to shouted questions.”
UNKNOWN FEMALE: “How about a timeline, Mr. President?”
MITCHELL (voice-over): “But afterwards both sides called it constructive and business-like. American officials told NBC News Putin was on his best behavior. Putin told the Kremlin press corps ‘today’s meeting was constructive, practical and surprisingly frank.’ He admitted ties between Washington and Moscow were at a low level but blamed that on what he called his American partners position. In talks that covered Ukraine and Syria. Earlier at lunch an awkward handshake and seated close to each other, no way to avoid a toast. There were no agreements. In a hard-hitting U.N. speech Putin argued to keep Syria’s President Assad. Obama said Assad who has massacred his own people with barrel bombs, is the problem, not the solution.”
OBAMA: “Let’s remember how this started. Assad reacted to peaceful protests by escalating repression and killing and in turn created the environment for the current strife.”
MITCHELL (voice-over): “But for a leader eager to project himself on the World stage, the U.N. trip was a public relations bonanza for the Russian president.”
MCFAUL: “Now he’s had, for the first time in many years, a bilateral meeting with President Obama that they themselves are saying that has gone positive. That’s a pretty good day for President Putin.”
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MITCHELL: “So, Putin has gone. Today the president and the vice president will both be here for a U.N. summit on how to better combat terrorism, especially ISIS. But at the same moment a bipartisan congressional committee is issuing a report slamming the U.S., saying the administration has done a terrible job against ISIS. Matt and Savannah.”
LAUER: “Andrea Mitchell at the U.N., again for us this morning.“