Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a nationwide ceasefire is the next step to restore peace in Syria after the recapture of Aleppo in the country’s north.

Speaking during a trip to Japan, Putin said he had proposed national Syrian peace talks during a phone call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.

He suggested they could be held in Kazakhstan.

“Syrian forces have achieved success in allowing the Syrian people to lead their ordinary lives and return to their homes, next step is an agreement about stopping all the fighting, all the shooting,” the Russian strongman told reporters.

In the same press conference, Putin blamed ISIL Takfiri insurgents’ recapture of Palmyra in the past week on poor cooperation between Syrian, Russian and Western coalition forces.

Source: Agencies