(VOVworld) – Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State John Kerry held a joint press conference in London on Tuesday after meeting with the foreign ministers from Germany, France, and Italy to discuss the Syrian situation.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (L) and US Secretary of State John Kerry meet at the Foreign Office in London, July 19, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

At the conference, the two leaders called on Russia to use its influence by convincing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to return to the negotiating table to put an end to the five-year conflict.

The latest round of Syrian peace negotiations, mediated by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, took place in Geneva in April. So far the parties have yet to resume talks while the violation of the ceasefire mediated by Russia and the US is getting worse.