On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of the bulk of the country's forces in Syria as they have broadly accomplished their counterterrorist mission there, with the remaining groupings tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities, in effect since February 27.
"You can't solve the Syrian crisis without Russia. It's not possible for the United States alone to bomb terrorists and think this is the way to peace. You need both powers, you need the international community, and therefore it's helpful that Russia will participate in this process," Armin Laschet said at the World Culture Festival in New Delhi.
Russia played a critical role in negotiating the Syrian ceasefire on February 22, described by stakeholders and observers as generally holding despite intermittent violations.
The cessation of hostilities has been ongoing against the backdrop of resumed "substantial" proximity talks between Syrian government opposition delegates on Monday, mediated by Special UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura.
