Putin, Erdogan speak by phone, could meet soon – Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan do not rule out that they could meet in the immediate future, the Kremlin press service has said.

The two leaders held a telephone conversation on Friday. “Both sides highlighted the need for additional measures to stabilize the situation in northwestern Syria,” according to the statement that comes after a flare-up of tensions in Syria’s Idlib.

Putin and Erdogan “agreed to intensify relevant inter-agency consultations and explore the possibility of holding a top-level meeting in the immediate future,” the Kremlin said.

Ankara says 33 Turkish soldiers have been killed in a strike by Syrian government forces in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region. Thursday’s attack – the deadliest suffered by the Turkish army in nearly 30 years – raised the prospect that President Erdogan will launch a full-scale operation against the Russian-backed Syrian army, Reuters said.