A look at what’s next for the major players in Syria’s war

Meanwhile, the United States and Russian Federation traded allegations over the bombing of civilian areas around the besieged city of Aleppo as fighting there intensified, further fueling fears of a mass exodus of refugees.

A senior State Department official also said claims made by Russian officials of US airstrikes in Aleppo were false.

Kerry and Lavrov will host foreign ministers from the 17-nation Syria contact group later Thursday, for a meeting billed as a moment of truth for the floundering peace process. The talks broke down last month before they really started, due largely to gains by Assad’s military with the heavy backing of Russian airstrikes.

Russian Federation has proposed a March 1 cease-fire.

Russian Federation has proposed a March 1 cease-fire but Washington believes that will only give Moscow and the Syrian government three weeks to crush moderate rebel groups.

“We will wait for the American response before we take it to the (International Syria Support Group)”.

Beyond that, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the ongoing Russian strikes – which the United States and its allies claim have targeted not only ISIS, but other opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government despite assurances otherwise – have hurt efforts to “have a serious conversation” on peacefully resolving the conflict.

Ministers meeting for Syria crisis talks agreed to seek a full cessation of hostilities within one week’s time, US Secretary of State John Kerry said early Friday. “That is what we will talk about in Munich”.

As he met Kerry in Munich, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had submitted proposals for implementing a ceasefire in Syria and was awaiting a reaction from worldwide powers.

The United Nations and the European Union, which has agreed a 3 billion euro fund to improve conditions for refugees in Turkey, have both urged Ankara to admit those fleeing the fighting.

The war has left more than 250,000 dead and created the worst refugee crisis for Europe since World War II. His peace push coincides with Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s attendance at a gathering in Brussels to hash out military options with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners.

Carter said he expected the more than two dozen countries contributing to the fight to endorse a US plan for accelerating the campaign.

“Yesterday, … two A-10 attack aircraft of the U.S. Air Force entered Syrian airspace from…”

Moscow maintains that it intervened in Syria to fight Daesh but Warren contends that Daesh is “virtually nonexistent” in Aleppo. Saudi Arabia indicated last week it could send ground troops into Syria, although it was not clear whether the offer was conditioned on the participation of USA ground forces. Canada will keep two surveillance planes in the region and conduct aerial refueling missions.

In the latest developments on the ground, Kurdish fighters and their allies captured a military air base in northern Syria under the cover of coalition airstrikes.

The incident with Russia’s Su-24 warplane that Turkish Air Force downed over Syria gave Russian Federation an opportunity to increase its military potential in Syria, Stratfor analysts note.

With the Syrian opposition saying it can not accept a truce because it does not trust the Russians, diplomats saw little chance of progress at the meeting in the German city of Munich.

Syria’s Kurds have been among the most effective forces battling IS, but they have remained largely neutral in the conflict between Assad and the rebels fighting to overthrow him.

Abdul-Jabbar Abu Thabet, a local rebel commander in the Aleppo province, said Thursday that Mannagh air base fell to the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, and their allies after fierce battles. The Kurds appeared to be exploiting the chaos to expand their nearby enclave, known as Afrin.

A Pentagon spokesman had accused Russian and Syrian government forces on Wednesday of destroying Aleppo’s two main hospitals with air strikes, though he did not specify when the strikes were alleged to have taken place.

To that end, Washington has tempered its calls dating back to August 2011 for Assad to immediately leave power.