OTTAWA – The Russian troop withdrawal from Syria is cause for some optimism at the country’s peace talks but the Kremlin’s next moves must be closely watched, says Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.

Envoy Rosemary McCarney told The Canadian Press the success of the latest round of Syrian peace talks in the Swiss city will depend heavily on what Russia does next.

She described the mood at UN headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday, the second day of talks, as “not full optimism, but a feeling of momentum, of a commitment.”

President Vladimir Putin surprised many on Monday when he ordered the withdrawal of Russian military personnel from Syria, saying he hoped it would stimulate the peace negotiations.

Putin sent fighter jets and other assets to Syria to prop up his ally, President Bashar Assad, whose attacks on his own people sparked the civil war that marked its fifth anniversary on Tuesday.

Russia’s military drawdown, combined with the reduction in violence in parts of Syria since the Feb. 27 ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and Russia, are positive developments, McCarney said.

“The announcement of Russia may have given people a little more sense of even more optimism today,” said McCarney. “But none of us know how that’s going to play out.”

She said the ceasefire has allowed aid workers to reach “more towns than we could ever have hoped for, you couldn’t have imagined even three weeks ago.”

Reports emerged Tuesday of airstrikes in the area around the historic city of Palmyra and clashes between pro-government forces and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

McCarney said the situation is “imperfect but much better than it was” two weeks ago.

“We’ve experienced a cessation of hostilities, which is not universal,” said McCarney. “It’s not geographically defined, it’s defined by groups which created what I would say is exploitable ambiguity by those who want to spoil the cessation of hostilities.”

McCarney described the scene in Geneva as “full throttle,” with the Human Rights Council and the standing committee for the High Commissioner for Refugees also in full session in rooms close to the peace talks.

“Geneva is not a big city. You’re certainly conscious of the presence of the various negotiating teams and all of the support teams around them.”

Canada has been providing assistance to three Syrian women inside the talks as part of the High Negotiations Committee, the umbrella group of the anti-Assad delegation.

McCarney said Canada and some partner countries have been providing legal assistance and negotiation training to the women.

“Canada believes very strongly in the role that women play, that they’re an integral part of the peace negotiation process.”

McCarney said the long road to peace will be fraught with obstacles.

“It’s not going to be a straight or perfect line. It’s going to be raggedy,” she said.

“All of us would take raggedy over failure.”