Russia has agreed to recommit to a ceasefire in Aleppo, hours after US Secretary of State John Kerry called for a "genuine cessation of hostilities" in Syria.
A US State Department spokeswoman confirmed to DPA that the Syrian parties agreed to "recommit to the cessation of hostilities" in Aleppo starting at midnight on Thursday in Damascus (0700 AEST Friday) as part of the nationwide cessation of hostilities.
"Let me reiterate that the cessation is unlimited by geography or time period," the spokeswoman, Julia Mason, said in an email.
"We are watching closely to see that it can help quell the violence and open humanitarian access to Syrians in desperate need."
Kerry, speaking in Oslo after talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, said Russia and others involved in the Syria process have to "make a decision" on whether they are "serious" about implementing the ceasefire approved by the UN Security Council.
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Russia is the key diplomatic and military ally of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In February, a major ceasefire, brokered by the US and Russia, went into effect in most of Syria. The truce later crumbled, with the Syrian opposition and the regime trading blame for its collapse.
Kerry said he had raised the cessation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif - whose government wields influence on Damascus - on the sidelines of a closed-door conference for peace negotiators and diplomats hosted by Norway.
Kerry earlier cautioned that "Russia needs to understand that our patience is not infinite, in fact it is very limited now with respect to whether or not Assad is going to be held accountable".
Kerry said the cessation of hostilities "doesn't call for a selective ceasefire, it calls for a nationwide ceasefire and it applies to the Assad regime, just as it applies to the opposition".
The US believes the cessation is "the only way to get to the table in Geneva to begin to negotiate a legitimate transition", he said.
The US is leading an international air campaign in Syria against extremists, mainly Islamic State.
The alliance is providing an air cover to an ongoing offensive by an Arab-Kurdish force against IS in northern Syria.
The Syrian government on Wednesday claimed that German and French special forces were illegally present on its territory.
The foreign ministry in Damascus called the alleged military presence a "flagrant and unjustified aggression" against Syria's sovereignty, state news agency SANA reported.
The German defence ministry has denied the allegations and said the reports are incorrect.
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