The U.N. envoy for Syria said Thursday there was little prospect of an imminent restart of negotiations to try to end the raging conflict.
"At the moment, when bombs are falling all over, it is very difficult to justify resuming talks," Staffan de Mistura told Agence France Presse after he met Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Russia said Wednesday it was ready to relaunch talks in Geneva with the United States following the collapse of a ceasefire.
But Washington threatened to suspend its engagement with Russia following escalating bombardments on rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo.