Putin announces truce between Syrian government and rebels

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that the Syrian government and rebel groups have agreed to a ceasefire and to begin peace talks.

He described the deal, which is set to come into force at midnight, as “fragile” but praised the agreements as the result of Russia’s defence and foreign ministries with Moscow’s partners in the region.

He added that he agreed with a proposal by the defence ministry to reduce Russian military presence in Syria but pledged that Moscow would “continue fighting international terrorism and supporting the Syrian government”.

The truce does not apply to the Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly the Nusra Front) militant groups, the BBC has reported, citing Turkish sources.

However, it does reportedly cover the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus, which had been a sticking-point in negotiations.

Turkish foreign  minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey and Russia would act as guarantors under the new plan.

Earlier this month, Moscow and Ankara negotiated a ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo, that resulted in the evacuation of tens of thousands of rebel fighters and civilians from an enclave besieged by government forces.

Previous ceasefire initiatives brokered this year by the UN, or the US acting with Russia, had quickly collapsed.