The first of Moscow's warplanes landed back in Russia from Syria on Tuesday at the start of a surprise withdrawal that diplomats hope will boost a new round of peace talks by pressuring the Damascus regime, reports AFP from Moscow. UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura described the pullout as a "significant development" for the talks that began in Geneva on Monday in the latest push to end the five-year conflict, but Western leaders were more cautious.
"We hope (this) will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations," de Mistura said in a statement. President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the "main part" of his forces out of the war-torn nation but the Kremlin denied it was trying to pressure its long-time ally President Bashar al-Assad. Putin said Monday that Moscow's military goal had been "on the whole" completed some five-and-a-half months and 9,000 combat sorties after the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of Assad.