MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The phone talks come after Erdogan said on Tuesday that the Turkish armed forces' military operation in Syria was designed to put an end to the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The remarks made the headlines and prompted immediate reaction in Syria and in Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Putin and Erdogan also exchanged opinions on the Syrian crisis with focus on developments in Aleppo.
"The sides discussed urgent issues of Russian-Turkish relations, including upcoming bilateral contacts at various levels," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that it was inappropriate to speculate on whether Turkish President Erdogan's statements on Syrian President Bashar Assad could affect the Moscow-Ankara relations. Peskov said Erdogan’s announcement on Assad, which had not been voiced in phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ran counter to Russia's understanding of the situation.
