US, Russia in conflict over Syria ceasefire date

“The process is very fragile, discussions are under way, one can’t speak about unanimity in the process of a Syrian settlement,” Russian diplomat Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked if Russia had proposed March 1 as a date for the beginning of a ceasefire, as claimed by a Western official on Wednesday. Peace talks are scheduled to resume around February 25. Russia, US and a few more big powers are scheduled to meet in Munich, to bring an end to the five-year old Syrian conflict. 

Over a quarter million people have died in the conflict which has seen the largest refugee crisis in decades and has also emboldened the Islamic State to make greater strides in some areas of Syria and Iraq. 

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that two U.S. aircraft had bombed the Syrian city of Aleppo on February 10, and that Russian planes had not been operating in the area. A Pentagon spokesman had accused Russian and Syria 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.   

Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that “only aviation of the anti-ISIS coalition flew over the city “, referring to the U.S.-led alliance of countries fighting the Islamic State militant group. He said the Russian targets on that day had been at least 20 km from the city.  

Capturing Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the war but now divided between rebel- and government-held sectors, would represent a major military victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a symbolic prize for his ally, Russia, to help justify its bombing campaign in Syria. 

Meanwhile, Turkey said its patience may run out over the crisis in Syria and it could be forced to take action, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, calling on the United Nations to do more to prevent what he said was “ethnic cleansing” in the country.