US, Russia discuss peace plan that would end Syria's isolation

The United States and Russia are in talks on a "potential way forward" that would see Syria come out of international isolation if it agrees to a series of steps including a ceasefire in Idlib, the US envoy for Syria has said.

Jim Jeffrey told reporters on Wednesday following a closed-door UN Security Council meeting that Moscow and Washington were exploring a "step by step approach" to ending the eight-year war, but that this would require "hard decisions."

During talks in Russia this month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the plan that "would allow a Syrian government that adheres to (UN resolution) 2254 to move back into the international community," said Jeffrey.

Resolution 2254 calls for peace negotiations, the drafting of a new constitution and UN-supervised elections.

But the US envoy said that "so far we haven't seen steps such as a ceasefire in Idlib, the convening of a constitutional committee that would give us confidence that the Assad regime actually ...