Russia said Thursday that it would support a 48-hour cease-fire in Aleppo, a move the U.N. Syria envoy said would allow aid to reach besieged areas soon, as long as all sides respected the temporary truce.
Moscow said it was ready to start the first "humanitarian pause" next week.
U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has long called for a 48-hour halt in fighting each week to allow aid delivery and medical evacuations from both rebel-held eastern and government-controlled western Aleppo. He welcomed the Russian Defense Ministry tweet and said the U.N. humanitarian team "is now set to mobilize itself to respond to this challenge."
"Our plan is to collectively work out the operational details and be ready for delivery as soon as possible," de Mistura's office said in a statement.