German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin plays a key role in determining whether a ceasefire can be reached to let humanitarian relief into the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The German Chancellor said she was hopeful that Russia would soon reach an agreement with the United States on a wider cessation of hostilities as well, that would allow for urgent humanitarian aid to be delivered to the millions of Syrians in dire-need.
“I think that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has a big influence on whether or not there will be ceasefire or a temporary ceasefire and the chance for humanitarian relief for the people in Aleppo. It is extremely urgent. I made that very clear in my talks with him. There are intensive talks between the US and Russia, and I hope that those negotiations will soon come to a result. But we need a longer ceasefire in order to create a basic structure of humanitarian aid. We work on that. It’s clear that time is pressing given the suffering of the people,” said Merkel.