Putin has not discussed with Trump, Erdogan developments in Syria Yet

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet discussed with US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the recent developments in Syria, where Turkey prepares to launch a military operation against Kurdish militias, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

“There has not been any information update,” Peskov was quoted by Russian news agency Sputnik as saying, when asked whether Putin had discussed the situation with his counterparts from the US and Turkey.

Russia has not been briefed on Washington’s plan to withdraw its forces from Syria’s north, the spokesman added.

“No, no one has informed us. You and us don’t know yet what troops are being withdrawn from there, to what extent and are they withdrawn at all.

You know, there have been different statements about troops pullout from different parts of the world that have not been confirmed. This is why we are following developments of the situation very attentively,” Peskov noted.

Erdogan announced on Saturday that Ankara could launch a military operation in neighboring Syria, east of the Euphrates River, in coming days, in order to clear the border area of Kurdish militants whom Turkey considers to be terrorists, create a security zone, and accommodate Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, the US, which used to support Kurdish forces in northern Syria, has started to withdraw troops from the area. The White House stated it would not “support or be involved in” Turkey’s operation.