Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar discussed in a telephone call Wednesday the situation in Syria.
The Defense Ministry said in a brief readout of the phone call that the two ministers discussed the situation in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib and other regional security issues.
It did not say whether the situation with the Kurdish fighters was part of the conversation.
The telephone call took place shortly after Ankara’s statement that it would hesitate to act against Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters.
Earlier this week, Turkey has rejected US national security adviser John Bolton's demands for assurances that Ankara would protect US-allied Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria before American troops pull out from the region.
On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country will not refrain from military action to protect its borders from what he describes as threats posed by the YPG.
Erdogan denounced on Tuesday Bolton’s remarks, calling them a “serious mistake.”
US troop withdrawal from Syria will not be scuppered despite Turkish threats against Washington’s Kurdish allies there, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, promising to ensure that the Kurds would still be protected.
Pompeo met leaders in Iraq’s capital and its semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, aiming to reassure them about Washington’s plans following President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement last month of an abrupt withdrawal from Syria.
The unannounced visits to Baghdad and the Kurdish regional capital Erbil came on the second day of a Middle East tour also taking in Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman.
Pompeo has the task of explaining US policy in the region after Trump’s announcement of the withdrawal, which rattled allies and came as a shock to top US officials.
Asked in Erbil if Erdogan’s pushback on the protection of the Kurds puts the withdrawal at risk, Pompeo told reporters: “No. We’re having conversations with them even as we speak about how we will effectuate this in a way that protects our forces...
“It’s important that we do everything we can to make sure that those folks that fought with us are protected and Erdogan has made commitments, he understands that,” Pompeo added.
The US forces have been working with Kurdish forces to fight ISIS. The Kurds control a swath of northeastern Syria.
Washington has repeatedly said its Kurdish allies will remain safe despite the withdrawal. But Turkey, which considers the YPG an enemy, has repeatedly vowed to crush the group.
