U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on October 24 that he is concerned about renewed fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo after a break of several days, according to the State Department.
Lavrov and Kerry discussed the situation in Syria in a phone call and agreed that experts from several countries meeting in Geneva would continue searching for ways to resolve the Aleppo crisis, the department said.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov told Kerry that the United States must fulfill its obligation to separate moderate opposition groups from "terrorists" in Syria.
The geographic proximity between moderate Syrian rebels and groups designated as terrorist, such as Islamic State, was one factor in the failure last month of a cease-fire negotiated by Moscow and Washington.
During the call, Kerry expressed concern about the renewal of attacks on Aleppo by Syrian government forces and Russian warplanes after a pause in the fighting last week, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
He noted that humanitarian aid had still not made it through to people under siege in Aleppo, because Russia and Syria failed to provide security guarantees to the UN during the pause.
