Vladimir Putin Says Syria Cease-Fire Deal Reached, Hostilities to End
The Russian president says hostilities will end at midnight.
— -- An agreement to end hostilities in Syria's bloody five-year civil war has been reached, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today.
The deal, signed by the Syrian government and the armed opposition, ends hostilities at midnight local time, he said. Syria's military today said it agreed to the nationwide cease-fire.
"Three documents have been signed," Putin said during a meeting with Russia's foreign and defense ministers. "The first document is between the Syrian government and the armed opposition on a cease-fire on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. The second document is a package of measures to control the cease-fire regime. And the third document is a statement on readiness to begin peace talks on the Syrian settlement."
According to The Associated Press, Russia and Turkey will guarantee the truce, Putin said, adding that the parties agreed to meet for peace talks in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the truce will include 62,000 opposition fighters across Syria, the AP reported.
The Kremlin said Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone to discuss the agreement and both "are satisfied."
The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, "welcomes the announcement of a nationwide cease-fire" and "hopes that the implementation of the agreement will save civilian lives, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance across Syria and pave the way for productive talks in Astana," according to a statement from his spokeswoman, Jessy Chahine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be welcomed to join the Syrian peace process after he takes office in January.
ABC News' Benjamin Gittleson and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
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