“There is absolutely nothing new about Russia’s approach to this issue,” Peskov told the Russian media, commenting on the developments in northern Syria, where Turkish forces have launched an offensive against the Kurdish militias holding the area, who are considered terrorists by Ankara.

The Russian president’s spokesman said that, from the very beginning of Turkey’s ‘Operation Peace Spring’, Moscow has been pointing out that “any actions that could hamper or stall the process of political settlement in Syria and further escalate tensions” there are “absolutely undesirable.”

At the same time, he made it clear that Russia “does not even consider” a possibility of a potential military conflict with Turkey in Syria. The spokesman said that the two nations have close contacts both between diplomats and the military that would help them avoid such a development.

His words came amid the news that the Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria allegedly reached an agreement with Damascus for Syrian government troops to be deployed along the border with Turkey. The Syrian Army already moved towards the border, entering the city of Manbij in the northern province of Aleppo late on Sunday, according to some reports.

On Sunday, Turkish Defense Ministry claimed its troops already pushed 30-35km into the Kurdish-held territory – well beyond its proposed 30km ‘safe zone.’ Turkey’s advances led to an exodus of Kurdish civilians from the area.

The Kurds were also reported to have abandoned the camps where Islamic State’s militants were held. Such a development sparked some concerns in Moscow as President Vladimir Putin previously warned that the Turkish offensive could contribute to the resurgence of the terrorist organization.

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