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Putin's Syria Withdrawal Given Cautious Welcome
Downing Street has offered a cautious welcome to Russia's withdrawal of troops from Syria, insisting it will judge the move by evidence of developments on the ground.
The Prime Minister's spokeswoman said the move would be "welcome" if it signalled a new commitment to a genuine political transition in the war-torn Middle Eastern state.
Mr Cameron spoke with Vladimir Putin about Syria less than a fortnight ago, but Number 10 left no doubt the Russian president's decision to pull troops out took Britain by surprise.
Russian warplanes and troops stationed at Russia's air base in Syria started leaving for home today following the partial pullout order from President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
At the newly reconvened UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva the UN special envoy for Syria called Mr Putin's announcement a "significant development".
Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia's decision was prompted by the Kremlin's displeasure with the Syrian government's tough position in the negotiations - or that it was intended to put pressure on Assad.
Russia's defence ministry said a group of Su-34 bombers was the first to depart on Tuesday, accompanied by a military transport aircraft.
The planes would be making stops at airfields in Russia for refuelling and technical checks since some of them are stationed more than 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) away from the Syria base, the ministry said.
Cover Photo: www.kremlin.ru
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