Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday said Russia-US tensions over Syria appeared to be easing, after Moscow and Washington traded bitter accusations over potential American military action.
“It seems that with the latest developments, the atmosphere has eased somewhat,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. “Our talks continue and will continue.”
The temperature had been raised by President Donald Trump on Wednesday warning Moscow that US missiles “will be coming” to Syria after an alleged chemical weapons attack.
However, the White House said on Thursday that Trump had not yet made a “final decision” on how to respond to the attack in Syria which reportedly killed dozens.
Moscow, meanwhile, warned the West against any intervention in Syria, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggesting it could “lead to new waves of migrants to Europe”.
Ankara appears keen not to take sides in one of worst outbreaks of tension since the Cold War between its NATO ally Washington and increasingly close partner Moscow.
