Ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo only possible after Russia-U.S. deal: Russian FM

A ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo will only be possible after Russia and the United States reach an agreement on a total withdrawal of militants from the city, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.

"Russia-U.S. consultations will coordinate particular routes and a timetable for the withdrawal of all militants from eastern Aleppo," Lavrov told reporters.

"As soon as these are agreed upon, the ceasefire regime will take effect," Lavrov said.

He noted that a round of consultations concerning the issue would be held in Geneva on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, and he hoped the United States would be able to use its influence to persuade the rebels to abandon the vicinity of the besieged Syrian city.

Lavrov said it is would be "counterproductive" to vote on a new draft of the U.N. Security Council Resolution on Aleppo, which is currently being prepared.

He said that the pause that the draft resolution would like to grant the militants would "surely be used by the extremists for regrouping and rearmament."

Therefore, he added, this resolution could be viewed as a "provocative step contrary to the efforts made by Russia and the United States."

The rebels captured eastern Aleppo in 2012, and the government forces recently imposed a siege on that area before unleashing a broad offensive for its recapture.

Recently, the government forces and allied fighters succeeded in capturing the northern part of eastern Aleppo, as part of a major offensive to retake all rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo. Endi