Russia says takeover of east Aleppo facilitates Syria peace deal
By REUTERS
The takeover of eastern Aleppo by Syrian government forces creates the conditions for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Syria, Russian Defense Ministry official Sergei Rudskoi said on Friday.Rudskoi added that all civilians and most rebel fighters had left formerly rebel-controlled districts of the city and more than 3,400 fighters from the "moderate opposition" had surrendered their weapons.Speaking on a visit to Japan on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan planned a new series of Syrian peace talks without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations.
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