The Turkish Foreign Ministry has said that the country aims to establish a ceasefire in Syria before the start of the new year. It also said that Ankara would not hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia and Turkey are discussing a nationwide truce plan for Syria.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the plan aims to expand the ceasefire from Aleppo city to cover the whole country. It was brokered earlier this month by Turkey and Russia to allow the evacuation of civilians. If the deal goes through, this would form the basis of upcoming political negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition.