MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia and the United States are close to reaching an agreement on coordinating actions in Syria's Aleppo, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday.
"We are, I hope, a few steps from an agreement on the special situation around Aleppo. Our military officials will meet again within few hours to reach a final deal. We haven't reached it yet," Ryabkov told Tasnim news agency.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups, which maintain a heavy presence in Aleppo, are not part of the deal.
