MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has compared cooperating with Syrian President Bashar Assad to shaking hands with Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler, Turkish SoL newspaper reported Tuesday.
The Turkish leader spoke after US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that Washington and Damascus must eventually negotiate.
On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said the United States was "taking every step" to bring Assad's rule in Syria to an end, adding they were prepared to meet Assad's representatives but not Assad himself.
The United States has repeatedly expressed its support for the Syrian opposition.
In May, 2011, the United States imposed sanctions on Assad and six other senior Syrian officials over alleged human rights violations.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since March 2011, with the UN saying some 220,000 people have been killed in the violence.
President Assad's government forces are fighting various militias, including the Nusra Front and the Islamic State extremist groups.
