French FM does not back sanctions against Russia over Syria

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Wednesday he did not support sanctions against Russia or Iran, which back the Syrian regime and its offensive in Aleppo.

"The priority is not to enter into a cycle of sanctions for the sake of sanctions," he told a news conference in Rome after meeting his Italian and German counterparts.

He described the situation in Syria as "intolerable", adding that there was no military solution and negotiations were the only way to end the five-year war.

Washington and Moscow on Wednesday announced two days of talks -- in Lausanne on Saturday, and in London on Sunday.

The meetings come after Syria was plunged into some of the worst violence it has seen, as government forces backed by Russian airpower push an assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

"We bet on the possibility that Russia would have a positive influence" on its allies, but now "we must acknowledge that did not happen", said Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Fresh air strikes and artillery fire in Aleppo on Wednesday left at least seven people dead, an international monitor said, a day after Russia was accused of stepping up its raids on the city.

"Our moral credibility is at stake. We must not only stop these deaths in Aleppo, but all over Syria," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.