(VOVworld) – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday accused Syrian rebels of preventing civilians from leaving battlefield east of Aleppo despite a humanitarian truce in Syria’s second biggest city.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry in a press conference in Geneva on August 26, 2016 (Photo: EPA/VNA)

In a phone call to US Secretary of State John Kerry, Lavrov said the truce should give both civilians and rebels the opportunity to leave Aleppo. However, the rebels have violated the ceasefire and prevented the evacuation of the population. Kerry confirmed the telephone talk with Lavrov without mentioning any discussion of Syria.

The phone call, initiated by Washington, was the seventh this month. It came at the end of the day when the humanitarian pause in rebel-held east Aleppo took effect. Russia and Syria committed to holding the ceasefire until Saturday evening. The truce will last 11 hours per day for 3 days, starting Thursday, to allow civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo.