Russia's President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Moscow on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed the "escalated" situation in the Middle East.
I am very interested in your opinion on how the situation in the region as a whole is developing, Putin said to Assad and added:
Unfortunately, there is a tendency towards escalation, we can see that. This also applies directly to Syria.
Russian TV has shown images of the two leaders in Moscow, but no details about the conversation have been released. Their meeting takes place at a time of frosty relations between Syria and Turkey. According to Turkish President Erdogan, Putin has offered to mediate between the two countries.
When the war in Syria broke out in 2011, Turkey initially sided with the rebels, but later shifted its focus to preventing what Erdogan called a "terror corridor" from emerging in northern Syria.
Russia is one of Syria's strongest allies, but Putin also has close ties to Turkey.
