Russia Demands Explanation from Erdogan Regarding 'Ending Assad's Regime'

Putin's spokesperson described Erdogan's statements that the Turkish army has entered Syria 'to end Assad's regime' as a 'very serious' matter. Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, stated on December 1st, 'Erdogan's remarks are a very serious issue. These statements are inconsistent with previous statements and also inconsistent with our understanding of the situation.' State television 'Russia Today' quoted Peskov as saying, 'We hope that in the near future, our Turkish partners will provide an explanation regarding these statements.' The Kremlin's reaction comes just hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made unprecedented remarks stating that the reason for sending Turkish troops into Syrian territory is to 'end the tyrannical regime of [Bashar] Assad' and that his country's entry into Syria 'has no other reason.' Erdogan stated that Ankara's actions are aimed at returning Syrian territory 'to its rightful owners.' Following Peskov's presence among journalists and his reaction to these remarks, one journalist asked whether this issue would affect Moscow-Ankara relations. Peskov replied that his government would wait for an explanation from Ankara before making any decisions regarding relations with their 'Turkish partners.' According to Peskov, Russia is not the only country that is present in Syria 'legally and at the request of the Syrian government.' Russia's reaction to Erdogan's statements was not unexpected. Russia, alongside Iran, is one of Bashar Assad's main allies. Its airstrikes, military assistance from Iran, and the militias that Tehran has played a role in preparing and sending from various countries to the Syrian front have been significant factors in the recent advances of the Syrian army, especially in Aleppo. On the other hand, Turkey and Russia have taken official steps in recent months to normalize their relations, which had been severely affected by the downing of a Russian fighter jet. The Kremlin's media office stated that Putin and Erdogan had a phone conversation on Wednesday regarding the situation in Syria. The Kremlin said that the parties also discussed Aleppo during this conversation. Erdogan's speech also took place on Wednesday. Additionally, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has traveled to Turkey to meet with officials there. The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reports that the Russian foreign minister and his Turkish counterpart are scheduled to meet on December 2nd. There is a possibility that Erdogan's statements will be raised in this meeting. Mikhail Bogdanov, Lavrov's deputy, has also mentioned this possibility in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.