The United States and Russia are studying new ways to break a diplomatic deadlock over how to stop the fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Kerry spoke on December 2 after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Rome.
"We have exchanged a set of ideas, which there will be a meeting on early next week in Geneva, and we have to wait and see whether those ideas have any legs to them," Kerry told reporters.
He said both sides believe it’s important to continue diplomatic efforts.
“Nobody is waiting for the next administration. We both feel there is urgency,” the U.S. top diplomat said.
Kerry said he will gauge progress with Lavrov when they meet again on the sidelines of a European security conference in Hamburg, Germany, next week.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on December 2 that Syrian government forces have recaptured half of rebel-held territory in Aleppo since launching a Russian-backed offensive for the city in mid-November.
The United Nations' humanitarian affairs chief warned earlier this week that Aleppo risks becoming "one giant graveyard," amid intense fighting between Syrian pro-government forces and rebels.