Russia is ready to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Syria, deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov said Thursday.

Russia is ready to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Syria, deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov said Thursday as foreign ministers gathered in Munich in a bid to restart peace talks.

"We are ready to discuss the modalities of a ceasefire," Gatilov told journalists in Moscow, quoted by TASS state news agency.
"That is what we will talk about in Munich."

International talks aimed at finding solution to the Syrian crisis broke down earlier this month, after being suspended until February 25, but Gatilov said Thursday that they could "possibly start earlier."

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned earlier this week that Russia's air campaign against Takfiri insurgents fighting the government in Syria could “further derail” diplomatic efforts to end the deadly crisis.

Kerry is set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich on Thursday to host talks with a 17-nation contact group designed to get the talks back on track.

Russia launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country last year at Damascus’ request.

Russia's defense ministry said Thursday that its air force had hit 1,596 terrorist targets in eight regions including Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Homs provinces in the past week.

The ministry later published a statement with a revised tally, saying it had in fact hit 1,888 targets over the same period.

The statement vehemently dismissed accusations that civilians had been targeted in Russian strikes, saying that "Russian aviation and Syrian government forces will never launch strikes on the civilian population."