The defeat of the RSK led the Bosnian Serbs to realise that a settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina must be negotiated as soon as possible, and reversed the tide of the war against the Serbs, giving US diplomacy a strong boost. The success of Operation Storm also represented a strategic victory in the Bosnian War as it lifted the siege of Bihać, and allowed the Croatian and Bosnian leadership to plan a full-scale military intervention in the VRS-held Banja Luka area—one aimed at creating a new balance of power in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a buffer zone along the Croatian border, and contributing to the resolution of the war. The intervention materialized as Operation Mistral 2 in September 1995. Combined with a NATO air campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it led to the start of peace talks that would result in the Dayton Agreement a few months later. The development also led to the restoration of the remaining Serb-held areas in eastern Slavonia and Baranja to Croatian control through the Erdut Agreement, ending the Croatian War of Independence in November.