U.S. President Barack Obama (R) laughs while talking with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin before the first session of the G20 Summit in Los Cabos June 18, 2012.

President Barack Obama sat down with Tom Friedman of The New York Times to make his case for the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, and his statements on Russia stood out as particularly rosy.

After saying that Russia 'was a help' on the deal despite tensions elsewhere, Obama added that he "was encouraged by the fact that Mr. Putin called me a couple of weeks ago," pointing out that Putin initiated the call to talk about Syria.

"I think they get a sense that the [Bashar] Assad regime is losing a grip over greater and greater swaths of territory inside of Syria [to Sunni jihadist militias] and that the prospects for a [Sunni jihadist] takeover or rout of the Syrian regime is not imminent but becomes a greater and greater threat by the day," Obama said. "That offers us an opportunity to have a serious conversation with them."

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There have been thinly sourced reports about Russia giving up on Assad at times during the four-plus-year long civil war, but this is by far the strongest suggestion yet.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-putin-syria-iran-deal-2015-7#ixzz3g1mrZzuT