Russian warplanes leave Syria

​Moscow/Geneva: The first of Moscow's warplanes landed back in Russia from Syria on Tuesday at the start of a surprise withdrawal that diplomats hope will boost a new round of peace talks by pressuring the Damascus regime.

UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura described the pullout as a "significant development" for the talks that began in Geneva on Monday in the latest push to end the five-year conflict, but Western leaders were more cautious. "We hope (this) will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations," de Mistura said in a statement.

Putin's announcement of the withdrawal of the "main part" of Russian armed forces in Syria has led Assad's opponents to speculate Moscow may be trying to press him towards a political settlement, though Damascus has dismissed any talk of differences with its ally and says the move was coordinated. It was unclear what the withdrawal would mean for the outcome of the war or for the future of Assad.

The talks under way in Geneva are part of a diplomatic push launched with US-Russian support to end the five-year-long war that has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world's worst refugee crisis, and allowed for the rise of Islamic State.

US-Russian cooperation had already brought about a lull in the war going into the talks via a "cessation of hostilities agreement" that led to a sharp decline in fighting between rebels and the government in western Syria.

But the Syrian government, which had been losing ground to rebels before Russia intervened, had indicated it was no mood to compromise on the eve of the talks, calling the presidency a "red line" and ruling out a negotiated transfer of power.