The UN Security Council views Russia’s decision to begin withdrawing from Syria as a positive step. Angolan Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, who holds the council’s rotating presidency this month, said council ambassadors understood that the withdrawal would take place gradually and that air strikes would be reduced in intensity as the forces pull out.
The council discussed the surprise Russian announcement during a closed-door meeting, when it also heard a report from UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on a new round of peace talks that opened in Geneva.
President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will begin withdrawing the bulk of its forces from Syria starting today. Putin said his forces had achieved their military goals and expressed hope that peace talks will yield a settlement to end the five-year war.
