Aleppo airstrikes halt

Russian and Syrian warplanes halted their airstrikes on Syria's besieged city of Aleppo on Tuesday in preparation for a temporary pause in the military push that Moscow has announced for later in the week, the Russian defence minister said.

According to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, the halt in the strikes should help pave way for militants to leave the eastern rebel-held parts of the contested city.

Both Russian and Syrian air raids on the northern city of Aleppo were suspended at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Shoigu said. He described the suspension as a precursor for the opening of humanitarian corridors.

Moscow on Monday announced a "humanitarian pause" between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday to allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city.

At that time, Russian and Syrian militaries will halt any offensive actions. Syrian rebels, including al-Qaida militants, as well as the wounded and the sick will be allowed to leave to the neighbouring rebel-held province of Idlib.

"The early halting of airstrikes is necessary to declare a 'humanitarian pause'," Shoigu said in a televised statement. "It will ... guarantee a safe exit of civilians through six corridors and prepare for the evacuation of the ill and the wounded from the eastern part of Aleppo."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the halt in the airstrikes was a goodwill gesture to pave the way for Thursday's pause. "The Russian military is offering yet another chance, and we hope that our partners will allow us all to take advantage of that," Peskov said.

The United Nations said Russia has communicated plans for two eight-hour cease-fires in rebel-held parts of Aleppo over "consecutive days" this week.

Spokesman Jens Laerke of U.N. humanitarian co-ordinator OCHA said in Geneva the agency needs assurances from all sides that fighting will stop before it can provide humanitarian assistance to the city.

Moscow made no mention of such a pause on Friday. The reasons for such a discrepancy were not immediately clear, and Laerke specified that it would be up to Russia to elaborate its plans.

Laerke said the U.N. was not told in advance of the Russian announcement.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said sanctions against Russia over its actions in Syria should remain an option.

Merkel said she and France's President Francois Hollande will discuss Syria with Putin on the sidelines of a planned meeting on Ukraine in Berlin on Wednesday, but cautioned against expecting "miracles."

Both leaders have been sharply critical of Russia's support for the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad.