Speaking in Beijing, Putin said on Saturday (April 27) he did not rule out Assad militias, backed by Russian air power, launching a full-scale assault on Syria's Idlib province, but that such an operation would be "unreasonable" for now.
Russia, one of the Assad regime's staunchest allies, and Turkey brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarized zone in the northwest Idlib region that would be free of all heavy weapons and "jihadist" fighters.
The deal helped avert a regime assault on the region, the major bastion of opponents of Bashar Assad.
Ankara is concerned about potential refugee flows from Idlib in the event of a military operation, and wants to retain its influence there.
Russian airstrikes and Assad missiles shelling on civilian neighborhoods in Idlib have killed hundreds of civilians since the Russia-Turkey de-escalation zone reached last year.
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