U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a Mediterranean Dialogues Summit in Rome, on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016.

PARIS — Russia said late Thursday that the Syrian military has suspended its combat operations in eastern Aleppo to allow civilians to leave the city and that it had reached agreement with the United States to negotiate the safe departure of rebel fighters.

A senior U.S. State Department official here traveling with Secretary of State John Kerry said that neither of those assertions could yet be confirmed but that Kerry was in contact with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

There were conflicting reports from inside Aleppo, where some residents reported a sudden quiet, but others said neighborhoods were still under fire. On Wednesday, as many as 150 elderly residents of Aleppo's Old City were evacuated by the government in a joint operation with the International Red Cross.

Lavrov, speaking to Russian journalists in Hamburg, said a much bigger evacuation was underway. "Yet another and the biggest [operation] so far . . . to evacuate the civilians willing to leave the place is underway there," he said, according to Russia's state-owned Tass news agency. "There are some 8,000 people in the column. That's a huge operation, and the withdrawal route is five kilometers long."

Kerry and Lavrov met twice Thursday morning in Hamburg, where both were attending an international conference. Kerry left at midday for Paris, and the two spoke again by telephone during the afternoon, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic contacts.

The White House, which has long been skeptical of Moscow's sincerity in its discussions on Syria, reacted guardedly. "Our approach to this situation from the beginning has been to listen carefully to what the Russians say but scrutinize their actions," press secretary Josh Earnest said.

Last summer, the United States suspended military and diplomatic "expert" talks with Russia in Geneva over a possible cease-fire in Syria when the government siege of eastern Aleppo began with assistance from Russian air attacks. A ferocious government ground offensive in the last few weeks, with hundreds of reported civilian deaths, has retaken all but about a quarter of the territory the opposition once held in the city. Up to 200,000 civilians, and several thousand rebels, are said to remain there.

Lavrov said that he and Kerry had reached agreement to restart the Geneva talks on Saturday to determine "the ways and methods of a final settlement of the eastern Aleppo problem through the departure of all militants and those civilians residents, who will wish to do so, from there," the Russian news agency Interfax reported from Hamburg.

The State Department official said the resumption of expert talks had been "discussed" but had not yet been finalized as of late Thursday.

The immediate Kerry-Lavrov discussions are about evacuating Aleppo and "determining the timing, the safety and where [opposition fighters and civilians] are going to go," the State Department official said. France will host a meeting here Saturday morning of the United States and other governments in Europe and the region to discuss the process.

The hope is that talks in Geneva will move quickly to a Syria-wide cease-fire that will allow humanitarian aid deliveries to hundreds of thousands in besieged communities across the western third of the country, and to restart political talks between the opposition and the government of President Bashar al-Assad over a political transition.

After more than a year of start-and-stop negotiations have failed to halt the carnage in Syria, optimism was tempered. "If that occurs, we obviously would welcome that development," Earnest said. "It won't be some sort of accident or coincidence . . . it will be the product and the result of skilled, principled, tough, tenacious diplomacy and much of the credit will go to Secretary Kerry."

"But we'll see what happens," he said. </s> HAMBURG (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he was "hopeful" about reaching an agreement with Russia over the Syrian city of Aleppo but that he was still waiting for "certain feedback and input".

"We're working on something here," Kerry told reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conference in Hamburg, Germany.

Asked if he was confident about a breakthrough, Kerry said he was not confident, but "hopeful".

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a potential U.S.-Russia deal to allow Syrian rebels to safely leave Aleppo was still on the agenda. </s> Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, foreground, speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, with a montage in the background showing Secretary of State John Kerry shaking hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

UNITED NATIONS — Russia has vetoed a U.N. resolution drafted by France demanding an immediate halt to the bombing of the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.

The vote in the Security Council on Saturday afternoon was 11 countries in favor, two against and two abstentions.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had warned before the vote that the continued bombing of Aleppo was killing civilians and destroying hospitals and schools — "and has nothing to do with combatting terrorism."

"It is the annihilation of Aleppo," he said. </s> HANGZHOU, China (AP) — President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday failed to force a breakthrough in negotiations over a cease-fire for Syria, but agreed to keep looking for a path to provide humanitarian relief to thousands of besieged civilians in the civil war-ravaged country.

After a 90-minute huddle on the sidelines of an economic summit, the two leaders directed their top diplomats to return to talks quickly, likely later this week, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the meeting. The official would not be named discussing the private discussion, which also covered U.S. concerns over cybersecurity and the situation in Ukraine.

The official said the U.S. was eager to find an agreement quickly, mindful of the deteriorating conditions around the besieged city of Aleppo. But U.S. was wary of enter a deal that would not be effective. The two leaders used the talk to clarify sticking points, the official said.

The conversation came hours after U.S. and Russian negotiators acknowledged that a recent round of intense talk had come up short. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov have for weeks been trying to broker a deal that would curb the violence between the Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces and moderate rebels backed by the U.S.

The strategy has hinged on the two sides agreeing to closer militarily coordination against extremist groups operating in Syria. But Obama has expressed skepticism that Russia would hold to its agreement. In recent days, the State Department has said it is seeking a nationwide cease-fire between Assad's military and the rebels, rather than another "cessation of hostilities" that is time-limited and only stops fighting in some cities and regions.

Associated Press writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this story. </s> The UN Security Council on Friday canceled an urgent meeting that had been called to discuss a US-Russian deal on Syria, at the request of both the United States and Russia, diplomats said.

During the scheduled meeting, US and Russian envoys were to present details of the joint agreement that calls for a ceasefire, the delivery of aid and joint targeting of Islamist rebels in Syria.

Russia, Syria's key ally, is pushing for the Security Council to endorse the agreement, but France and other council members have said they must first learn more details about the deal.

Under the deal, all sides were due to allow deliveries of food and other basic supplies to the battleground city of Aleppo after a ceasefire went into effect on Monday.

But on Friday, aid convoys positioned at the border with Turkey had yet to receive the all-clear to begin their journey to Aleppo.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Thursday that the council could adopt a resolution backing the agreement during a high-level meeting on Syria to be held on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due to attend the council talks, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption John Kerry: "If this arrangement holds then we will see a significant reduction in violence across Syria"

Russia and the US have agreed to co-ordinate air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, part of a detailed agreement to reduce the violence there.

The plan will begin with a "cessation of hostilities" from sunset on Monday. Syrian forces will end combat missions in specified opposition-held areas.

Russia and the US will then establish a joint centre to combat jihadist groups, including so-called Islamic State (IS).

A Syrian opposition coalition has cautiously welcomed the agreement.

"We hope this will be the beginning of the end of the civilians' ordeal," said Bassma Kodmani, a spokeswoman for the High Negotiations Committee.

"We welcome the deal if it is going to be enforced."

In other reaction:

Turkey welcomed the plan, and said aid needed to reach those in need "from the first day"

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urged the UN to "prepare a proposal for political transition" in Syria

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson urged Russia to "use all its influence" to ensure the Syrian government "delivers on its obligations"

Aid access

The announcement follows talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

The plan would need both the Assad government and opposition "to meet their obligations", Mr Kerry said.

The opposition had indicated it was prepared to comply with the plan, he said, provided the Syrian government "shows it is serious".

Mr Lavrov said Russia had informed the Syrian government about the arrangements and the Syrian government was "ready to fulfil them".

Mr Kerry said the cessation of hostilities also involved humanitarian access to besieged areas, including Aleppo.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Aleppo: Key battleground in Syria's civil war

Seven days after the start of the cessation of hostilities, Russia and the US will establish a "joint implementation centre" to fight IS and another main group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham used to be known as the Nusra Front but changed its name in June and announced it was cutting ties with al-Qaeda.

Mr Lavrov said the joint implementation centre would allow Russian and US forces to "separate the terrorists from the moderate opposition".

"We have agreed on the areas where such co-ordinated strikes would be taking place, and in those areas, on neutral agreement shared by the Syrian government as well, only the Russian and US air force will be functional," he said.

But Mr Lavrov added that "the Syrian air force will be functional in other areas, outside those that we have singled out for Russian-American military co-operation".

Layers of conflict

Image copyright AP

By Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East Editor, Damascus

Getting a deal was an achievement, given the sour atmosphere between Moscow and Washington. It offers some fragile hope about stopping the slaughter.

But there is scepticism about its chances. That is because a lot is going to have to go right, quite quickly, if the agreement is to work.

One necessity is President Assad's consent. A week-long ceasefire might be possible, but a political deal to end the war is still out of sight.

The Assad regime's survival depends on the Russians, so he will listen to them. But with Russia's help, the Assad regime is looking more robust.

So it is hard to see why the president, or his Russian allies, would want him to go.

The war in Syria is made up of layers of conflict, which connect up to regional and global rivalries. That makes it very hard to calm, let alone end.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry stressed that the plan could pave the way for a political transition.

"The plan is more prescriptive and far-reaching than any proposal to date and, if implemented by all sides, could allow political negotiations to take place on Syria's future," Mr Kerry said.

The United Nations envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, welcomed the agreement and said the UN would exert all efforts to deliver humanitarian aid.

'Apex of horror'

Fighting has recently escalated between Syria's army and rebels in eastern Aleppo, where 250,000 people live.

On Sunday, Syrian government forces were reported to have recaptured parts of Aleppo which were lost to rebels last month, placing rebel-held districts in the city's east once again under siege.

Mr de Mistura warned earlier on Friday that food and water shortages made the situation in Aleppo even more serious, and that fuel supplies could run out within days.

UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien told the BBC conditions in Aleppo had become appalling: "Eastern Aleppo is at the apex of horror, where any one of us, if we were there, would find life barely possible, let alone tolerable."

The US and Russia support opposite sides in the conflict that began in 2011: Washington backs a coalition of rebel groups it describes as moderate, while Moscow is seen as a key ally of President Assad. </s> The United States and Russia hailed a breakthrough deal on Saturday to put Syria’s peace process back on track, including a nationwide truce effective from sundown on Monday, improved humanitarian aid access and joint military targeting of banned Islamist groups.

 ‘Today, Sergei Lavrov and I, on behalf of our presidents and our countries, call on every Syrian stakeholder to support the plan that the United States and Russia have reached, to … bring this catastrophic conflict to the quickest possible end through a political process,’ US secretary of state John Kerry told a news conference after marathon talks in the Swiss city.

 Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite continuing mistrust, the two sides had developed five documents that would revive a failed truce agreed in February and enable military coordination between the US and Russia against militant groups in Syria.

 Both sides agreed not to release the documents publicly.

 ‘This all creates the necessary conditions for resumption of the political process, which has been stalling for a long time,’ Lavrov told a news conference.

 The deal followed talks that stretched late into Friday night and several failed attempts to hammer out a deal over the past two weeks. The announcement on Friday was delayed as Kerry and US negotiators consulted with officials in Washington.

 ‘The Obama administration, the United States, is going the extra mile here because we believe that Russia, and my colleague (Lavrov), have the ability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and to come to the table and make peace,’ he said.

 Previous efforts to forge agreements to stop the fighting and deliver humanitarian aid to besieged communities in Syria have crumbled within weeks, with the United States accusing Assad’s forces of attacking opposition groups and civilians.

 Kerry said the ‘bedrock’ of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the banned Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

 ‘That should put an end to the barrel bombs, and an end to the indiscriminate bombing, and it has the potential to change the nature of the conflict.’

 Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while as a confidence building measure. During this time, opposition fighters will have the chance to separate from militant groups in areas, such as Aleppo, where they have become intermingled.

 If the truce holds from Monday, Russia and the United States will begin seven days of preparatory work to set up a ‘joint implementation centre’, where they will share information to delineate territory controlled by Nusra and opposition groups.

 Both warring sides would pull back from the strategic Castello Road in Aleppo to create a demilitarised zone, while opposition and government groups would both have to provide safe and unhindered access via Ramouseh in the south of the city.

 ‘We must go after these terrorists,’ Kerry said. ‘Not indiscriminately, but in a strategic, precise and judicious manner so they cannot continue to use the regime’s indiscriminate bombing to rally people to their hateful crimes.’

 All sides in the conflict would need to adhere to the nationwide truce, Kerry added, cautioning opposition fighters that if they did not separate from Nusra they would not be spared from air attacks.

 ‘This requires halting all attacks, including aerial bombardments, and any attempts to gain additional territory at the expense of the parties to the cessation. It requires unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all of the besieged and hard-to-reach areas including Aleppo.’

 Pentagon and US intelligence officials have spoken out against the idea of closer military cooperation with Russia, in particular the sharing of locations of opposition groups that have fought to topple Assad.

 US defense secretary Ash Carter, who only days ago delivered a forceful speech in England criticizing Russia, has long been skeptical of Moscow’s intentions in Syria.

 The Pentagon said in a statement it would carefully monitor the ‘preliminary understanding’ agreed on Friday and cautioned the Assad regime and its backer, Russia, to stick to deal requirements.

 ‘Those commitments must be fully met before any potential military cooperation can occur,’ Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. ‘We will be watching closely the implementation of this understanding in the days ahead.’

 The United States and Russia have backed opposite sides in Syria’s civil war, with few signs of an end in sight to more than five years of conflict, which killed more than 400,000 people and drove tens of thousands of refugees into Europe.

 The United Nations said on Friday the Syrian government had effectively stopped aid convoys this month and the besieged city of Aleppo was close to running out of fuel, making the talks even more urgent.

 The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, welcomed the announcement, saying in a statement that it had provided ‘clear rules’ for a cessation of hostilities and would allow warring sides to resume political talks on a transition. </s> Aleppo, Syria (CNN) The Syrian army has stopped all military actions in Aleppo and is focusing efforts on evacuating residents, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.

"This is the largest ever evacuation of eastern Aleppo residents, with close to 5,000 residents being moved," Lavrov told reporters at the summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, in Hamburg, Germany.

Lavrov's words were echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who called this the "biggest operation for civilian evacuation."

CNN crews on the ground in Aleppo could still hear mortar rounds going off despite the announcement.

Lavrov's comments come one day after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss ways to end the bombing of Aleppo, allow safe passage of those who want to flee the war-torn northern Syrian city, and deliver humanitarian aid to its remaining residents.

The two met for about 45 minutes Wednesday evening in Hamburg, ahead of a two-day OSCE summit. They discussed "ongoing multilateral efforts" to end the fighting in the city, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

"We're working ... and we have to wait for certain feedback and input, but we are working on something and we'll see where we get. Confident. Hopeful. We'll see where we are, " Kerry told reporters Thursday morning before leaving the OSCE meeting.

Plans to end the violence include a US-led initiative, floated on December 2, to guarantee safe passage of rebel forces out of the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo.

Russian state news agency TASS reported the Russian government supports the US initiative.

"I confirm the support to the US initiative of December 2," Lavrov told a reporter after his meeting with Kerry, according to TASS.

Lavrov and US officials are set to meet in Geneva on Saturday to discuss "militants' pullout from Aleppo," according to Russian state media.

Assad not in favor of ceasefire.

He lauded the Syrian army's assault on Aleppo, claiming the effort to recapture it represents "a significant landmark" in bringing the country's 5-year civil war to a close.

However, in his first public comments since the Aleppo offensive began in mid-November, he also cautioned that retaking Aleppo did not in itself mean an end to the bloody conflict.

"The battle of Aleppo will be a gain, but to be realistic, it doesn't mean the end of the war in Syria," he said.

"It is a significant landmark towards the end of the battle, but the war in Syria will not end until terrorism is eliminated."

Overall, the rebels hold only about a quarter of war-ravaged eastern Aleppo, residents and activists inside the city told CNN.

Many civilians remain trapped in the shrinking rebel-held area, with food, fuel and medical supplies almost exhausted and no safe route out.

On Wednesday, Syrian rebels in that sector called for a five-day humanitarian ceasefire, and the Syria Civil Defense, better known as the White Helmets, Thursday called for safe passage for their volunteers, families and other humanitarian workers as Syrian government forces and their allies close in.

"If we are not evacuated our volunteers face torture and execution in the regime's detention centers and therefore we need urgent action to save the lives of humanitarians in the besieged part of the city," the group said, adding members believe they only have about 48 hours left.

James Prince, president of the Democracy Council -- which works with US-backed Syrian opposition groups -- said a lack of US support has left the opposition with no leverage to negotiate and is forcing it to surrender and leave Aleppo to stop the bombing.

"Let's be clear. This is a withdrawal by opposition forces from Aleppo in the face of massive combined force of Russia, Hezbollah and the Assad government," Prince said.

"Other than the humanitarian benefit of evacuating civilians, the reassertion of Assad's control of Syria's most populous city will lead to more bloodshed and bolster recruitment efforts of extremists like (ISIS).

"The world needs to find a comprehensive solution in Syria that involves transition to a legitimate federal government and the withdrawal of all foreign forces."

One activist in eastern Aleppo told CNN as many as 200,000 people, including rebels and their families, were crammed into 10 rebel-held neighborhoods, some having fled from other areas under fire.

He described the situation as "apocalyptic," saying the few medical facilities still operating were packed with injured civilians and resembled "slaughterhouses," with no medical supplies or proper equipment.

Dozens of people have been killed daily in the strikes and crossfire between the regime and rebels since the Syrian forces began their push into eastern Aleppo on November 26, activist groups said. </s> HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a longer-than-expected discussion on Monday about whether, and how, they could agree on a ceasefire deal in war-torn Syria, a senior U.S. administration official said.

Obama and Putin spent about 90 minutes in a "constructive" meeting about getting humanitarian aid into the country, reducing violence, and cooperating on combating militant groups, the official told reporters.

In talks earlier on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were unable to come to terms on a ceasefire for the second time in two weeks, with U.S. officials stressing they would walk away if a near-term pact could not be reached.

Obama and Putin did not get into the finer details of a deal, but made progress to clarify "the remaining gaps" and directed Kerry and Lavrov to meet as early as this week to keep working on a deal, the official told reporters.

"If an agreement can be reached, we want to do so urgently, because of the humanitarian situation. However, we must ensure that it is an effective agreement," the official said.

"If we cannot get the type of agreement we want, we will walk away from that effort."

A cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by Lavrov and Kerry in February unraveled within weeks, with Washington accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces of violating the pact.

State Department officials have declined to elaborate on what the sticking points are preventing a deal, though the U.S. official said the remaining differences revolved around how the plan would be implemented.

Russia has insisted that it cannot agree to a deal unless opposition fighters, backed by the United States and Middle East allies, are separated from al-Qaeda linked militants they overlap with in some areas.

Obama and Putin also discussed the conflict in Ukraine - a crisis that Obama had earlier discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

The White House wants to determine whether the Minsk ceasefire can be implemented beforeObama leaves office in January, or whether economic sanctions on Russia will need to be extended, the official said.
Russia and the United States will continue talks on Aleppo after talks between the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.