Russian Envoy to UN Says Ceasefire in Syria 'Holding Adequately'

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin

The ceasefire in Syria that entered in force on Friday has been kept according to initial reports, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told reporters.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Syrian government and armed opposition groups reached an agreement on a ceasefire on Syrian territory, taking effect at 00:00 on Friday. Russia and Turkey took the role of the ceasefire guarantors, but other countries may also be invited, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"The initial indications ceasefire is holding adequately," Churkin said on Friday.

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Russian president’s traditional end-of-year Q&A marathon session. Over 1,400 journalists have joined the event. It is expected that the focus will be on the US election results, Syrian conflict, and domestic issues.
President Putin is expected to speak on the Syrian crisis, the US election results, and his cautious optimism towards a possible rapprochement between Moscow and Washington, as well as on the economic challenges faced by Russia.

At least 1,437 reporters have been accredited this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.