President
Obama spoke today by phone with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to
discuss progress on the implementation of the nationwide Cessation of
Hostilities between the Syrian regime and
its allies on the one hand and the armed opposition on the other. They
discussed President Putin’s announcement today of a partial withdrawal
of Russian forces from Syria and next steps required to fully implement
the cessation of hostilities with the goal
of advancing the political negotiations on resolution of the conflict.
President Obama welcomed the much-needed reduction in violence since
the beginning of the cessation, but stressed that continuing offensive
actions by Syrian regime forces risk undermining
both the Cessation of Hostilities and the UN-led political process.
The President also noted some progress on humanitarian assistance
efforts in Syria but emphasized the need for regime forces to allow
unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance delivery
to the agreed-upon locations, notably Daraya. The President
underscored that a political transition is required to end the violence
in Syria.
On
Ukraine, President Obama emphasized the need for combined
Russian-separatist forces to implement the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine
and to provide monitors from the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with unfettered access to
separatist-controlled areas, including the Russia-Ukraine border.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
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