Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, during which they discussed Turkey’s impending attack on northern Syria and the war in Ukraine.

In recent days, Erdogan has stated that he intends to launch a new military operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish YPG to establish a 30-kilometer-deep security zone.

According to the office of the Turkish president, Erdogan told Putin that this zone has been defined since 2019 but has not been implemented yet.

The two presidents also discussed the situation in Ukraine, with Putin saying Moscow was ready to work with Ankara to free shipping that has been blocked by the war in Ukraine.

“Vladimir Putin noted the readiness of the Russian side to contribute to the unimpeded sea transport of goods in coordination with the Turkish partners. This also applies to grain exports from Ukrainian ports,” the Kremlin said in a statement referring to the Putin-Erdogan conversation.

For his part, Erdogan also told Putin that the Turkey is ready to continue its role as mediator in ending the war in Ukraine, including its involvement in a possible “observation mechanism” between Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations.

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