France, Germany call on political solution to "catastrophic" Idlib crisis

The leaders of France and Germany told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that the humanitarian crisis in Syria's northwest Idlib province needed a political solution and that the three should meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel "expressed their shared concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation that civilians find themselves in and the risk of an escalation," a French presidency statement said.

The United Nations warned on Friday that fighting in northwest Syria could "end in a bloodbath" and called again for a ceasefire, while Moscow denied reports of a mass flight of civilians from a Russian-led Syrian government offensive.