Turkey, Russia cautious on Trump call for 'safe zones' in Syria
US President Donald Trump says he wants 'safe zones' in Syria. Turkey says it wants more information. Russia says it wasn't consulted.
A Syrian boy rides his bicycle past destroyed buildings in Aleppo's formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood on January 21, 2017, a month after government forces retook the northern Syrian city from rebel fighters.
Moscow on Thursday said the US government did not consult with Russia before Donald Trump announced his plan for creating safe zones in Syria.
"No, our American partners did not consult with us. It's a sovereign decision," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"It is important that this (the plan) does not exacerbate the situation with refugees, but probably all the consequences ought to be weighed up."
TRT World's William Deneslow has this update on the Kremlin response to Trump's plan.
Turkey wants details of Trump plan
Turkey, which has long advocated safe zones inside Syria said it is waiting to see the outcome of Trump's plan.
"We have seen the US president's request for conducting a study. What's important is the results of this study and what kind of recommendation will come out," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said on Thursday.
He also said some elements in Syria may be frustrated by progress made at peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana and may seek to disrupt the ceasefire. It was incumbent on guarantor countries, which include Turkey, Russia and Iran, to prevent that from happening, Muftuoglu said.
TRT World's Kilmeny Duchardt has more from Gaziantep on Turkey's border with Syria.
Trump said on Wednesday he "will absolutely do safe zones in Syria" for refugees fleeing violence.
Trump is expected to order the Pentagon and the State Department in the coming days to craft such a plan.
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