The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry continued discussions over the phone about possible assistance in settling the situation in Aleppo, reports the RIA Novosti, referring to the  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Kerry and Lavrov held a telephone conversation initiated by the American side on September 29. Ryabkov said that the conversation lasted almost 1.5 hours. That was the 53rd phone conversation between Lavrov and Kerry this year.

According to Ryabkov, Lavrov drew attention to the fact that despite the UN requests insurgents keep civilians as hostages and hamper the delivery of the humanitarian aid in the eastern part of the city. Lavrov confirmed one more time that Russia, guided by a respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria, is open for a dialogue with the US in regard to all the key issues related to the Syrian conflict.