Russian president Vladimir Putin on Monday declared that he has ordered the majority of his country's troops to start pulling out from Syria, according to reports. The decision was announced on the day that Syrian peace talks began in Geneva. The announcement followed a meeting in the Kremlin between Putin and his defence and foreign ministers, after which the president said the intervention had largely achieved its objective, reported The Guardian.

The pullout is due to start from Tuesday, more than five months after the military operation began in September last year. Putin said the move should help serve as a stimulus for Syria's political talks, reported the Associated Press. He did not give a deadline for the completion of the withdrawal and said Russian forces would stay on at the port of Tartous and at the Hemeimeem airbase in Syria's coastal Latakia province, reported Reuters.