Russia and Turkey have agreed to create a demilitarised buffer zone in Syria’s Idlib province to separate government forces from rebel fighters based there.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said it would be 15km to 25km (9-15 miles) wide and come into force by 15 October.
Troops from Russia, an ally of Syria’s government, and Turkey, which backs the rebels, will patrol the zone.
The UN had warned of a humanitarian catastrophe if the Syrian army launched an all-out assault to retake Idlib.
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But after Monday’s meeting between Mr Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the deal meant there would be no such operation in the region.
