February 20
15:55
2016
Moscow pledged to continue backing the Syrian government in its fight against "terrorism", dashing hopes for a ceasefire the opposition said it would only back if the regime and its supporters hold fire. World powers have been pushing for a so-called cessation of hostilities to pave the way for renewed negotiations aimed at ending Syria's war nearly five years after it began. Efforts to find a political solution to Syria's civil war collapsed earlier this month, and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has said a plan to restart them on February 25 was no longer "realistically" possible.
