Russia’s Defense Ministry says its forces, Syrian government troops, would hold a unilateral cease-fire on Oct. 20, reports Interfax

LUXEMBOURG, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 17, 2016 — The European Union foreign ministers on Monday pledged swift action to broaden sanctions against the Assad regime and called on Russia to live up to its responsibilities and end the bombing of Aleppo immediately.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also announced she will begin a new outreach on Tuesday to start talks on Syria’s political future with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and other key regional players. Ms. Mogherini had already floated the initiative privately last week but it remains unclear how much support the initiative will get.

Russian and Syrian aircraft bombed areas of eastern Aleppo killing 100 people since Thursday

In a statement adopted Monday afternoon, the EU pledged to “act swiftly…with the aim of imposing further restrictive measures against Syria” targeting Syrian officials and entities.

 Syrians walk through rubble following a new round of air strikes on rebel-held areas of east Aleppo

The EU has already targeted more than 200 top Syrian political and military officials with an asset freeze and travel ban, including Bashar al-Assad. It has also placed sanctions on sectors of the economy, including an oil embargo. European diplomats said last week about 20 new people could be targeted.

 UK, France and Germany seek EU condemnation of Russia over Syria

Ms. Mogherini also said the bloc was united around a “strong call” for Russia and for the Assad regime to stop striking Aleppo.
The ministers are “asking first of all for Russia to stop the bombing and create the conditions for the cessation of hostilities, most of all for humanitarian aid to reach Russia,” she said.

 Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

In Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces, along with Syrian government troops, would hold a unilateral cease-fire on Oct. 20 to allow humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo, Interfax reported.

 Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoi, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff

The cease-fire was set to last from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. local time. “During this time, the Russian Air Force and Syrian government troops will cease carrying out aviation strikes or fire from other weapons,” said Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, a top officer in charge of Russia’s Syria operations, speaking at a briefing.
Monday’s foreign ministers’ meeting follows a weekend of high-level international diplomacy on Syria and comes ahead of talks with EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, at which the Aleppo crisis is set to dominate discussions about the bloc’s future ties with Moscow.
In their statement, EU foreign ministers slammed Russia’s use of a veto to block a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an end to the bombing of Aleppo and urged Russia “to demonstrate through policies and actions all efforts” its willingness to stop the attacks. The ministers said the actions “by the regime and its allies, notably Russia,” against Aleppo have led to a “catastrophic escalation of the conflict and have caused further widespread civilian casualties” in Syria.
However while EU foreign ministers offered strong wording on Russia’s role in the crisis on Monday, there was no agreement on what steps, if any, to take against Moscow for its role in the conflict.
Some EU member states are pushing for a discussion on targeted sanctions against Russian officials over Aleppo when the bloc’s leaders meet although no specific proposal has yet been made.

 Britain, France seek more EU sanctions on Syria, Russia over Aleppo

“What is happening in Aleppo is a human catastrophe,” said French Foreign MinisterJean-Marc Ayrault. “We have a debate today where we will examine all the options which will allow us to put much stronger pressure on the regime of Bashar al-Assad but also on its allies.”

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson 

On his way into Monday’s meeting, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who hosted talks on Syria on Sunday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and others, said it was within Russia’s power to “pull the plug” on the attacks on Aleppo.

Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Integration Sebastian Kurz speaks in Vienna at the International Conference 

However, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said dialogue, not sanctions are needed, to find a solution in Syria.

 German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks to the media after attending a news conference

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was “rather skeptical” sanctions would help.
“I was one of those promoting the resumption of talks—I think that’s the biggest chance,” he told reporters. “I don’t see how long-lasting sanctions can contribute to improving the delivery of aid in Aleppo.”
The EU is seeking international backing to organize humanitarian aid convoys to east Aleppo, which is still held by rebels fighting the Assad regime. Ms. Mogherini is also pushing for the bloc to lead fresh talks on the future political transition in Syria.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Ms. Mogherini gave no date for talks on that political track to start. And she warned this wasn’t the moment to start raising expectations. However, the foreign policy chief said she hopes the EU initiative will help build trust and, in that way, also pave the way for successful talks on a cease-fire deal also.
However, previous efforts to have key regional rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia, work seriously on Syria’s political future have failed. On his way out of the EU meeting, the United Nations special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura also warned that talks on the political future mustn’t shift the focus away from urgent efforts to stop the fighting in Aleppo.
“We cannot imagine that we are having regular, normal discussions about Syria when the issue about Aleppo is simply left in the sky,” he said.