There's 'going to be a lot more fighting on the ground' before a serious ceasefire in Syria
The members of the International Syria Support Group also announced that the delivery of humanitarian aid would be accelerated throughout the country.
The 17 countries agreed "to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin in a target of one week's time," US Secretary of State John Kerry said after a joint conference with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Julien Barnes-Dacey, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Business Insider that the recent push on Aleppo, the refugee crisis and the collapse of the Syria peace talks in Geneva redirected international focus to find a solution to the 5-year-conflict.
Recent events "...really showed there was another impending humanitarian crisis in Syria... and made everyone realise that [the conflict] could completely spiral out of control," Barnes-Dacey said.
The onslaught by Russian-backed government forces on Aleppo forced an estimated 50,000 people to flee the city and has reportedly killed 500 people since the start of the offensive on February 1.
Kerry said that peace talks between Syrian rebels and the Assad government would eventually resume but that "What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground," according to AFP.
"There are huge obstacles that stand in the way of a permanent ceasefire in Syria, but this is the first step," Barnes-Dacey said.
"A broader ceasefire is still a far off hope"
The main takeaway from the deal sealed by the foreign ministers from the International Syria Support Group is that more help will be delivered more quickly to besieged cities and regions in Syria. The Syrian government is besieging a number of rebel strongholds throughout the country, leaving thousands on the brink of starvation.
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The Syrian government which, aided by Russian forces, has made major gains in the last few weeks, encircled and has now almost entirely cut off supply routes to Aleppo, one of the major rebel strongholds in Syria.
The offensive prompted the United Nations to warn that 300,000 people were at risk of being left without food. The water keeps getting cut off in the city and there are electricity and fuel shortages.
The "cessation of hostilities" agreement however does not include strikes against ISIS. ISIS (also known as the Islamic State, ISIL and Daesh) is currently being bombed by a US-led coalition, as well as by Russia.