Russia's withdrawal from Syria should boost peace talks

Russia's withdrawal from Syria should boost peace talks

Russia’s sudden withdrawal from Syria was a bolt from the blue which should bolster peace talks getting underway in Geneva, report s ITV News correspondent Juliet Bremner.

Moscow has conducted 9,000 sorties in the war-torn country since it began a military intervention insupport of president Bashar al-Assad last September.

The onslaught has helped government forces regain momentum in a brutal civil war - and it has also transformed President Putin’s standing on the international stage.

Ithas come at a heavy price in terms of human lives - 4,400 have been killed, according to Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, including more than 1,700 civilians.

While it’s not clear why Putin has chosen to withdraw most of his forces now, the removal of Assad’s main outside support should boost efforts to reach a permanent political solution to the crisis.