Putin: Assad, Iran, Turkey agree to Syria talks

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had all agreed that the Kazakh capital of Astana should be the venue for new Syrian peace negotiations.

Russia, Iran and Turkey held talks in Moscow on Tuesday after which they said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal. Putin proposed holding the negotiations in Kazakhstan, a close Russian ally.

Russian air strikes were instrumental in helping Assad wipe out rebel resistance this month in the northern city of Aleppo, handing him his biggest victory in nearly six years of war and strengthening his negotiating hand.

A still image taken from a video footage and released by Russia's Defence Ministry on November 15, 2016, shows a jet taking off from Russian Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier near the coast of Syria Russia

Previous diplomatic attempts to end the conflict have repeatedly failed. Despite the government's recapture of Aleppo, large parts of Syria are still controlled by insurgent and Islamist groups.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said he expected the talks in Astana to take place in mid-January. But TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying: "I wouldn't talk now about timing. Right now contacts are being made and preparation is under way for the meeting."

A member of forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad stands with a civilian on the rubble of the Carlton Hotel, in the government controlled area of Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016

He said Putin would have a series of international telephone calls later on Friday to discuss the Astana talks. Speaking at his end-of-year news conference, Putin said the next step for Syria would be a nationwide ceasefire.