Putin and Erdogan meet in Moscow for Syria talks

The Turkish and Russian presidents held talks in Moscow on Thursday aimed at ending hostilities in northwestern Syria involving their forces along with proxies that threaten to pit Turkey against Russia in a direct military conflict.

Before the latest crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan had managed to coordinate their interests in Syria even though Moscow backed Syrian President Bashar Assad while Ankara supported its foes throughout Syria's nine-year war.

Both Russia and Turkey appear eager to avoid a showdown, but the sharply conflicting interests in Idlib province make it difficult to negotiate a mutually acceptable compromise.

A Russia-backed Syrian offensive to regain control over Idlib - the last opposition-controlled region in the country - has pushed nearly a million Syrians toward Turkey.

Erdogan responded by opening Turkey's gateway to Europe in an apparent bid to coerce the West to offer more support to Ankara.