Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he hopes a decision over the ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo would be announced very soon.
 
"Our joint aim is to prolong the ceasefire in Syria and eventually make it permanent. Now we are nearing the end of negotiations between the Russian and American forces over a ceasefire in Aleppo, and I hope that very soon, maybe in the coming hours, this decision will be announced," Lavrov said.

Lavrov made the comments at a joint news conference with UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who flew to Moscow from Geneva for talks on restarting the peace negotiations for Syria. Lavrov confirmed that Russia and the United Sates will create a joint center in Geneva to monitor the situation in Syria. He urged the US to use its influence to stop Syrian opposition from issuing ultimatums. He also said Russia is concerned by Turkish shelling of Syria. The top diplomat said closing the Turkish border with Syria was becoming more urgent. Staffan de Mistura said peace talks could be restarted if the truce was extended to Aleppo.