Russia wanted delay in Aleppo ceasefire, but unacceptable to US -State Dept

The US State Department said on Monday that Russia told the United States it wanted a ceasefire in east Aleppo, Syria, delayed for several days, a proposal the agency said was unacceptable in view of the continued attacks on civilians.

The Syrian army, backed by Russia, made new advances on Monday after taking the Sheikh Saeed district, leaving opposition trapped in a tiny part of the city.

“Rather than accepting the US proposal for an immediate cessation, the Russians informed us that a cessation could not start for several days, meaning that the assault by the regime and its supporters will continue until any agreement will go into effect,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing in response to a question about weekend talks in Geneva.

“Given the dire situation in Aleppo and the reports of continued attacks on civilians and infrastructure, this was just simply not acceptable.”

Kirby said US and Russian officials were continuing their talks in Geneva, although there was for now an unbridgeable gap between their positions.

“Our teams are still trying to work this out,” he said. “While we would still like to get there … I think we’re certainly at an impasse right now.”