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Putin, Obama discuss Russian military withdrawal from Syria

Xinhua, March 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama discussed the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria early Tuesday morning.

The "business-like and candid" conversation was held a few hours after Putin ordered main parts of the Russian air force operating in Syria to pull out, according to a Kremlin statement.

Putin said the withdrawal "undoubtedly" would be a good signal to all conflicting parties in Syria, and create conditions for the start of a real peace process.

The two leaders also touched on the cease-fire which came into force last month.

"It was noted that Russian-U.S. initiative (on cease-fire in Syria), which was backed by UN Security Council resolution 2268, made it possible to significantly decrease the level of the bloodshed on the Syrian soil," the statement said.

Obama welcomed "the much-needed reduction in violence since the UN-led political process." He also stressed that "a political transition is required to end the violence in Syria."

Both sides called for speeding up the political settlement process of the Syrian conflict, and expressed support for the intra-Syrian talks which started in Geneva on Monday under UN auspices, during which Syrians themselves should determine the future of the country.

Both leaders agreed to continue closely coordinating actions in Syria, including maintaining the cease-fire, ensuring humanitarian aid delivery and fighting against terrorism.

Ukraine, another flashpoint caused by conflicting interests of Washington and Moscow, was also mentioned in the phone call. Endi