Russia, U.S. close to reaching understanding on Aleppo: report

Russia and the United States are close to reaching an understanding on the settlement of Syria's Aleppo, as the Syrian army has made major breakthroughs recently in its offensive to the rebel-held city, local media reported Thursday.

The Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying that Moscow and Washington are conducting intense exchanges on the situation in Aleppo and "the situation there is changing every hour."

"We are close to reaching an understanding. But I would like to caution against any heightened expectations," Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

Moscow and Washington have resumed consultations recently on the Syrian settlement after the U.S. suspended dialogue with Russia in early October.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met in Rome, where they agreed on a plan that would allow all militants to withdraw from eastern Aleppo.

Lavrov and Kerry met again in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing multilateral efforts to achieve a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo, according to the U.S. State Department.

Kerry said discussions with Lavrov will continue on Thursday. Endi