The UN Security Council views Russia’s decision to begin withdrawing from Syria as a positive step. The council discussed the surprise Russian announcement during a closed-door meeting, when it also heard a report from UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on a new round of peace talks that opened in Geneva. President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will begin withdrawing the bulk of its forces from Syria. The Kremlin leader said his forces had achieved their military goals and expressed hope that peace talks will yield a settlement to end the five-year war.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said following the meeting that “finally” all the components of Syria’s peace process were in place, including a cessation of hostilities, humanitarian aid deliveries and negotiations.

Russia launched the air strikes in September saying it wanted to root out the Islamic State group that controls part of Syria, but the military campaign mostly propped up Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. Although Russia has gained the upper hand in Syria with its military intervention, diplomats say it remains unclear whether the Kremlin can impose a settlement on Assad.

The UN-hosted negotiations in Geneva, which began on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the conflict’s outbreak, are the latest effort to end violence that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.