Erdogan Presses Putin on Syrian Offensive
Erdogan Presses Putin on Syrian Offensive by Ann M. Simmons and David Gauthier-Villars – Wall Street Journal
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to Russia to persuade Vladimir Putin to rein in his Syrian allies, whose offensive on rebels’ last stronghold is threatening to drive thousands of refugees into Turkey.
Tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border are testing the budding security relationship between Ankara and Moscow, but it isn’t clear what specific assurances Mr. Erdogan left with on Tuesday.
In a joint press conference, Mr. Putin expressed understanding for the Turkish leader’s security concerns and said Moscow and Ankara had agreed to take additional steps to defuse the conflict in Syria’s Idlib region, which borders Turkey. Mr. Putin didn’t elaborate on what these measures would be…