Foreign Ministry: Russia ready to discuss ceasefire

Russia is ready to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Thursday as foreign ministers gathered in Munich in a bid to restart peace talks.

"We are ready to discuss the modalities of a ceasefire," Gatilov told journalists in Moscow, quoted by the TASS news agency. "That is what we will talk about in Munich."

International talks to end the five-year civil war that has killed more than 260,000 people broke down earlier this month amid accusations from the West and opponents of the Syrian government that Russia's air strikes in Aleppo were targeting opposition groups and civilians.

The talks were temporarily suspended until Feb 25, but Gatilov said on Thursday that they could "possibly start earlier".

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned earlier this week that Russia's bombing campaign could further derail diplomatic efforts to end Syria's brutal civil war.

Kerry is set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich on Thursday to host talks with a 17-nation contact group designed to get the talks back on track.

But US frustration with Russia's bombing in support of the Syrian government is growing, as fears mount that the opposition will refuse to join UN-led peace talks while their cities are under fire.

Russia launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country last year at the Syrian government's request, saying strikes are aimed against the Islamic State group and other jihadists.

But the West has accused Moscow of targeting more moderate groups that oppose the Syrian government.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its air force had hit 1,596 terrorist targets in eight regions including Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Homs provinces in the past week.

'US hit targets'

The ministry said on Thursday that two US aircraft had bombed Aleppo on Wednesday, and that Russian planes had not been operating in the area.

A Pentagon spokesman had accused Russian and Syrian government forces on Wednesday of destroying Aleppo's two main hospitals with air strikes, though he did not specify when the strikes were alleged to have taken place.

The Syrian army has made rapid advances near Aleppo in recent weeks with the help of Russian air strikes.

But Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that "only aviation of the anti-ISIS coalition flew over the city yesterday", referring to the US-led alliance of countries fighting the Islamic State militant group.

"At 1355 Moscow time, two US Air Force A-10 attack aircraft entered Syrian airspace from Turkish territory. Reaching Aleppo by the most direct path, they made strikes against objects in the city."

He said the Russian targets on that day had been at least 20 km from the city.

AFP - Reuters