Russian Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford have discussed the situation in Syria by phone, RIA news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
Details of the call have not been disclosed.
The talks took place after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier on Saturday a military operation in Syria's PKK/PYD-controlled Afrin region had begun after cross-border shelling by the Turkish army.
Following Erdoğan's remarks, Free Syrian Army crossed the border with Syria in multiple locations, whereas Turkish jets started conducting airstrikes.
The Turkish military also announced that an operation named Olive Branch has been launched to clear the region of PKK/PYD/YPG and Daesh terrorists.