Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the recapture of the devastated city of Aleppo by Syrian regime forces was a “very important” step towards stabilising the war-torn country.
“The liberation of Aleppo from radical elements is a very important part of the normalisation in Syria, and I hope, for the region overall,” Putin told Defence Minister
Sergei Shoigu in a meeting, the Kremlin said.
The Syrian Army said late on Thursday that it had retaken full control of Aleppo, scoring its biggest victory against
Opposition forces since the civil war erupted in 2011.
The Kremlin strongman said that after the ouster of
rebels from Aleppo, Moscow will now look to end fighting across the country.
“Everything needs to be done for fighting to stop on all Syrian
territory,” Putin said.
“In any case, we will strive toward this.”
Putin said during his annual press conference today that he hoped that fresh peace talks could get all sides in the conflict to agree to a nationwide ceasefire.
“The next step must be the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement on all of Syria’s territory,” he said.
Putin said that the presidents of Turkey, Iran and Syria had agreed to take part in new peace talks, which Russia had proposed take place in the Kazakh capital Astana.
Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad since September 2015 and has taken steps to boost its presence in the country.