Erdoğan helped broker evacuation of civilians from eastern Ghouta, Putin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that his country had managed to evacuate "quite a big group" of civilians from Syria's opposition-held eastern Ghouta.

Putin, speaking at a news conference alongside Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan had helped broker the evacuation.

Putin did not say when the civilians had managed to leave.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said late Wednesday that Erdoğan discussed the evacuation with Putin one month ago, demanding the transfer of about 700 civilians to Turkish hospitals for medical treatments.

Kalın said Russia evacuated these civilians one week after Erdoğan's demand, adding that the injured were brought to southern Damascus instead of Turkey.

"We did not share the information as the civilians were not brought to Turkey," the presidential spokesperson said.