Russian President Vladimir Putin held previously unannounced talks with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Thursday, dpa.international reports citing to the Kremlin .
Noting "major progress" by the Syrian army, Putin told al-Assad that conditions "were favorable for stepping up the political process" and that foreign armed forces would likely begin withdrawing from Syria, according to a Kremlin statement.
Al-Assad said recent military successes meant his government was "succeeding in normalizing the situation," which "opens the way for our many citizens to return to their homes."