Russian President Vladimir Putin said that reaching an agreement with the US on de-escalation zones is a huge step forward.

At a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, President Putin said that reaching an agreement on an important part of de-escalation zones in Syria is one of the most important things achieved during his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

He said that one of the main issues on the agenda of the Syrian crisis settlement process are the parameters and the functioning of the de-escalation zones as Syria’s territorial integrity is paramount.

Putin said that working on these de-escalation zones is a huge step forward, adding “we have to agree on their concrete borders and on how security will be ensured at the zones. It is very painstaking and at first glance even tedious, but it is extremely important and responsible work.”

Commenting on Tillerson’s statements that he made a day before, Putin said it’s up to the Syrian people to decide their own future.