WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Secretary of State John Kerry briefed UN Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura during a meeting in London on the concrete steps the United State and Russia took last week to establish a nationwide ceasefire and create conditions for peace talks in Syria, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby said in a press release on Monday.
"The Secretary thanked Special Envoy de Mistura for his leadership and briefed him on the concrete steps discussed between the United States and Russia last week which are aimed at better securing a nationwide cessation of hostilities, improving the delivery of humanitarian assistance, fighting terrorism, and creating the necessary conditions for political talks to resume," the release stated.
The two agreed that the status quo in Syria was unsustainable and expressed their expectation that if fully implemented these renewed efforts would make a substantial difference in reducing violence and "restoring momentum to the peace process."
Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin last week in the Russian capital, where they discussed concrete steps to restore the ceasefire and possible US-Russian military cooperation against terrorist groups in Syria.
