Russia says new Syria talks with US are ‘pointless’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the situation in eastern Aleppo may be resolved in two to three days, Russian-based RT News reported today

He has dismissed new Syria talks with the United States as “pointless”.

Speaking at a meeting with participants in the educational programme Dialogue for the Future, Lavrov said: “I hope that the situation in Aleppo will be resolved in two to three days. [Russia] has created humanitarian corridors [in Aleppo] that have been and are being used by tens of thousands of civilians.”

He added that guarantees of safety have been given to militants who voluntarily lay down their arms, and corridors have also been organised for them to safely leave the city.

“We are talking to all the groups of fighters, except for ISIL [Daesh] and Jabhat Al-Nusra which have been included in the terrorist lists, and we are talking to countries in the region, including our Turkish colleagues, who also have contacts with the fighters on the ground and the armed opposition,” the Russian minister added.

Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov saying that Moscow has high hopes for talks on Syria with Turkey, noting that he believes they could be “more effective than many months of a pointless hangout we have had with the United States”.

The Russian Centre for Reconciliation had reported earlier that about 6,000 civilians, including 2,210 children, have been evacuated from opposition-controlled areas in the last 24 hours.

“[At least] 5,992 civilians, including 2,210 children, have been evacuated from areas of Aleppo under the control of militants,” a statement by the centre said, adding that they have all been placed in humanitarian centres where they are receiving food and medical assistance.

The statement added that at least 366 fighters have surrendered and entered the western part of Aleppo.