Putin Discusses Syria Safe Zones, Ties With US With Russian Security Council

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a briefing with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council to discuss Syria and Russia-US relations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Peskov, ties with the US were discussed in the context of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Washington and talks with his counterpart Rex Tillerson later in the day.

"During the meeting, current issues on the Russian agenda were discussed. In the context of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's contacts with his US counterparts scheduled for today, the issue of bilateral Russian-US relations was touched upon," Peskov said.

"There was also an exchange of views on the formation of de-escalation zones in Syria in the light of the signing of a relevant agreement at the meeting in Astana," he said.

Representatives of the countries-guarantors of the truce in Syria (Russia, Iran, Turkey) signed on May 4 a memorandum on the creation of four zones of de-escalation in Syria, which include the province of Idlib and seven other regions. According to the memorandum, any clashes between the government forces and opposition armed groups must stop within the zones.

The memorandum on these de-escalation zones took effect on May 6.