For Putin, Turkish move into Syria a chance to ramp up Middle East role

Turkey's incursion into Syria is an opportunity for Russia to dial up its influence in the region as Washington appears to be pulling back, but the risks to Moscow's diplomacy will rise the longer the operation goes on, people close to the Kremlin say. In a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan before the operation against U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, made clear he hoped the incursion would be limited in time and scale, the sources said.

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