Putin, Merkel discuss US plans to withdraw from Syria, Kerch Strait incident

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed Washington’s planned troop withdrawal from Syria with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call. The Russian leader praised the work of Moscow, Ankara, and Tehran, that together compiled a list of delegates for the Syrian constitutional committee. The move “creates conditions for a long-time [conflict] settlement in Syria,” the Kremlin said in a statement. The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the Black Sea following the Kerch Strait incident, involving Ukrainian and Russian ships.