White House Would Welcome Success of US-Russia Talks on Syria Settlement

The United States would welcome a positive outcome of talks underway between the top US and Russian diplomats toward a ceasefire in Syria’s civil war, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a briefing Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – He asserted that much of the credit for such progress would go to Secretary of State John Kerry.

“We obviously would welcome this development," Earnest told reporters, referring to a peaceful settlement. "If that occurs, it won't be some sort of accident or coincidence. It will be a product and result of tough diplomacy.

On Wednesday, Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a meeting in Hamburg, Germany of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and discussed a possible settlement for the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The two diplomats continued the discussion by phone on Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced.