European leaders will tell President Putin to end Russia’s attacks on Syrian civilians and opposition forces ahead of crucial peace talks.
David Cameron, Angela Merkel and François Hollande will confront the Russian leader in a conference call today amid claims that Russia was behind a series of attacks that targeted rebels fighting President Assad’s regime.
It comes as the prime minister repeated his demand that Syria’s future must not include Assad staying in power.
Speaking alongside President Hollande at the UK-France summit in Amiens, Mr Cameron said: “We also need an end to the civil war in Syria and a government in Damascus that can bring stability to that country. We welcome the latest truce. It could provide an opportunity to make process at next week’s peace talks. But they will only succeed if there is a change in behaviour by the Syrian regime and by its backers.
“That is why tomorrow François and I, together with Chancellor Merkel, will speak to President Putin.
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“Russia needs to end its attacks on Syrian civilians and the moderate opposition and accept there has to be a transition away from Assad to a new leader who can reunite Syria and bring peace and stability to that country.”
Peace talks were suspended last month because of continued fighting but their resumption suggests there is some confidence that a ceasefire is now having some effect.
The regime has described the truce as a glimmer of hope but there is no indication as yet over how talks will deal with Assad’s future.
The ceasefire is being scrutinised by a joint US-Russian group. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, has also met the Russian foreign minster, Sergei Lavrov, to review whether the truce is holding. The foreign office, however, has warned of multiple breaches of the ceasefire.
“We need swift action to reduce those violations,” Tobias Ellwood, the foreign office minister, told MPs this week. “We look to Russia in particular to use its influence with the regime to ensure that the cessation endures and that there are no further violations.”
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Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, warned that Mr Putin was trying to divide Europe.