According to Sputnik news agency he also said that the United States would get out from Syria "over a period of time", claiming that he never gave a four-month timetable for this withdrawal.
Meanwhile, about 400 Syrian Kurdish YPG militants left Manbij in 30 vehicles since 1 January after reaching an agreement with Damascus to withdraw from the area, according to the Syrian Defence Ministry.
The Syrian army declared on 28 December that its troops had entered Manbij after receiving an appeal from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to take control over the city amid Turkey's plans to conduct a military operation there. On Saturday, the Kremlin confirmed that Damascus had indeed regained control over the territory.
Ankara has been opposing the presence of Kurdish militia in Syria's northern regions, claiming that the militants posed a threat to Turkey's security. In January, Turkey even launched a military operation in city of Afrin against the US-backed YPG, which is regarded by Turkey as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara. Damascus, in turn, called the operation an aggression.
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