At Saturday's smaller meeting, Churkin said, "I think it will be very important to see: Are they prepared to really work for a cessation of hostilities?"

Putin dismissed accusations that Russia's bombing of Syria's Aleppo amounts to a war crime saying: "It's political rhetoric that doesn't make a lot of sense and doesn't take account of the reality in Syria".

The country said it was willing to give rebels a way out of Aleppo, where more than 250,000 people are under government siege.

The siege has caused an worldwide outcry with a number of countries and groups accusing Syria and Russian Federation of war crimes in connection with attacks on medical facilities and aid convoys.

Russian Federation has faced heavy criticism over its actions in Syria with the United States threatening to end relations with the country over bombing.

That agreement envisioned a halt to hostilities, increased humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of besieged civilians across Syria, and unprecedented coordination between Moscow and Washington against jihadists.

The United States and Russian Federation, which support opposite sides in the five-year war, will meet in Switzerland on Saturday to try to resurrect the peace process.

The U.S. and Russian Federation are on opposing sides of the Syrian war, with Washington supporting a political resolution that includes moderate Syrian rebels, and Moscow providing military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

More than 370 people, including almost 70 children, have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment of east Aleppo since government forces announced a landmark offensive to take the entire city on September 22.

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A brutal government offensive against rebel-held eastern Aleppo backed up by Russian airpower has plunged Syria into some of the worst violence it has seen since the five-year-old conflict erupted.

In the last two days of bombing, at least 145 people were killed, according to the head of the Civil Defence rescue service there, Ammaral Selmo.

Following last month's collapse of the cease-fire, the Obama administration cut off diplomatic talks and Washington-Moscow ties deteriorated sharply.

Then in London on Sunday, Kerry will likely meet up with his European counterparts from Britain, France and Germany.

The watchdog also added that four children were killed in shelling by rebels on a regime-held neighbourhood in western Aleppo. You have to keep cleaning this area and to push the terrorists to Turkey.to go back to where they come from, or to kill them. "Flour will run out in a month", he told reporters by telephone Friday from the city of Gazientep in southern Turkey.

Russia, whose intervention in Syria past year bolstered Mr Assad after he faced the risk of defeat, is anxious to accelerate its military gains in Syria before the U.S. has time to try and reverse them, said Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Moscow-based Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, a research group that advises the Kremlin.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will return to Syria talks on Saturday with both sides having said that expectations for the meeting are not high.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday the U.S.is no longer trying to reach an agreement with Russian Federation but is instead trying to use a "variety of diplomatic channels" to reduce the violence inside Syria.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, whose country like Turkey supports the opposition and has long called for Assad's ouster, also welcomed the Ankara-Moscow rapprochement.