UN carries out first humanitarian airdrop in Syria: AFP
Russia has started 'concrete work' on reconciliation in Syria: Ministry
Russia has begun "concrete work" on reconciliation in Syria and is hoping that the United States will take similar actions, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has said.
"I have to say -- we are determined and in fact have begun concrete and complex practical work for reconciliation in Syria. We hope that our American partners will, instead of letters and words, switch to concrete actions as soon as possible," Konashenkov said.
Russian warplanes carried out 62 sorties in Syria in past 2 days: Ministry
Russian war planes flew 62 sorties in Syria over the past two days striking 187 targets, RIA Novosti cited a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman as saying.
Apropos of my previous update, here's our news desk's take on Putin's phone calls regarding Syria:
Putin Talks About Syria By Phone With Saudi King, Iranian President
he Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on February 24 and that the two had agreed to continue contacts about resolving the war in Syria.
Putin's aide Vladimir Kozhin said the two spoke about military and technical cooperation.
A Kremlin statement says Putin also explained the essence of an agreement between Russia and the United States on a cease-fire in Syria that is due to begin on February 27.
Later, Putin spoke by telephone with Iranian President Hassan Rohani about the conflict in Syria.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has warned that Washington is considering a "Plan B" to deal with Syria if Damascus and Moscow demonstrate in the coming days that they are not serious about the truce and negotiating a political transition.
Islamic State militants and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al- Nusra Front are not part of the accord.
Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted an unnamed Kremlin official as saying on February 24 that Russia was "not aware of any 'Plan B' the United States is talking about."
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax
Putin goes on diplomatic blitz ahead of Syria ceasefire
With the cessation of hostilities in Syria due to start on Feb. 27, Russia's President Putin has had a busy afternoon, putting in telephone calls to a number of world leaders.
According to the Kremlin website, Putin has held telephone conversations today with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Saudi Arabia's King Salman, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Kremlin press service has also been working hard, putting out a statement that said that King Salman welcomed the statement by Russia and the United States on the cessation of hostilities in Syria.
Lavrov: Those questioning Russian-U.S. Syria agreements are 'calling for war'
Those who cast doubt on the agreements between Russia and the United States regarding a Syria ceasefire are calling for war, not for peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, TASS reports.
"Today there are many people who want to prevent the normal development of cooperation between Russia and the United States. There are even those who are trying to undermine the opportunities to promote the Russian-U.S. agreements and boost our cooperation on the most pressing issues of our time," Lavrov said.
"Literally on the day when Russia and the United States approved the joint initiative on the ceasefire in Syria, voices could be heard from the capitals of the U.S. allies and from Washington which questioned the viability of this agreement. We want to say frankly that these voices are a call for war rather than for peace."
Damascus says determined to keep Syria together - Reuters
The Syrian government has said that it is "determined more than ever" to preserve Syria's unity after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be hard to hold the country together if the fighting did not stop, Reuters report.
Tajik sentenced to 6 years for incitement to join IS
A court in Tajikistan has sentenced a 25-year-old man to six years in prison for incitement to join the IS group.
RFE/RL's Tajik service reports that the court reached its verdict at the end of January.
The defendant, Sobron Abdulloev from the village of Dakhana in the Kulob district of Tajikistan, was arrested in August 2015 and allegedly intended to travel to Syria.
More from Turkey's Erdogan on his calls for the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which is fighting the IS group in northern Syria, to be excluded from the Syria ceasefire:
Turkey's Erdogan: Exclude Kurds from Syria ceasefire
Turkish President Erdogan has said that the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia should be excluded from the Syria ceasefire set to start at the weekend.