Kurdish fighters said they had withdrawn hours before the expiration of a five-day ceasefire, in what had previously been described as a 'demand for capitulation,' as Russia gave Turkey the go-ahead to carve up northern Syria yesterday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Vladimir Putin had made an 'historic agreement' in Sochi on Tuesday and confirmed Turkey's establishment of a 'safe zone' across the Syrian border could continue.

The deal allows Turkey to maintain control of areas captured during its offensive into Syria earlier this month and gives Russian and Syrian troops territory along the rest of the border. Putin and Erdogan also agreed that their troops will conduct joint patrols of the border area.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Vladmir Putin meet in the resort of Sochi for a summit to discuss the future of Syria

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said it would bring the end of the Turkish offensive, saying it meant 'ending bloodshed, ending the operation that drew contradictory reaction in the world.'

As the evening deadline for the end of the ceasefire passed, Turkey said there was 'no need' to relaunch the offensive.

From noon local time today, Russian military police and Syrian border guards will 'facilitate the removal' of Kurdish fighters and their weapons from within 18 miles of the border.

Any remaining Kurdish fighters have 150 hours to decamp from within 18 miles of the border, starting at midday Wednesday, though Kurd officials earlier stated they had already moved out in preparation for the end of the ceasefire.

Erdogan is hoping that Putin will allow his invasion of Kurdish territory to proceed unhindered, though the Russian leader is unlikely to agree to the demand

In the early hours of Wednesday, Turkey said it had been informed by the US that their withdrawal from the border areas had been 'completed'.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was pictured mingling with his troops today, described Erdogan as 'a thief' while vowing to unite all of his territory.

Putin yestday called his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad to inform him about the deal.

The Kremlin said Putin emphasized in Tuesday's call that the agreement should help restore Syria's territorial integrity. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Assad voiced support for the agreement.

Germany proposes security zone in northern Syria German Chancellor Angela Merkel has thrown her support behind her defence minister's proposal to create a security zone in northern Syria. Such a security zone could protect displaced civilians and ensure the fight continues against Islamic State militants, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer argued. 'We cannot just stand by and watch and not do anything,' she told German television. 'My suggestion is that we set up an internationally controlled security zone involving Turkey and Russia.' Merkel told conservative MPs that the idea of a security area was 'very promising, even if there are many open questions'. But the initiative met with resistance from leading Social Democrats, junior partners in Merkel's ruling right-left coalition. It is the first time Berlin has proposed a military mission in the Middle East. Berlin generally remains reluctant to use military force, largely because of the legacy of World War II. The minister, widely known as AKK, said she would discuss the initiative with NATO partners this week. She did not rule out sending German soldiers to Syria, saying that would be a matter for parliament. AKK is seen as a possible successor to Angela Merkel although her political fortunes have declined since she became party chair last year. Advertisement

Russia has emerged as the key power-broker in Syria after Donald Trump suddenly ordered US troops to withdraw, effectively green-lighting a Turkish invasion that has now been paused for five days.

Erdogan will be hoping that Putin allows his invasion of Kurdish territory to continue unchecked, though that is unlikely as the Russian leader backs the Syrian regime.

Erdogan is trying to create a 20-mile 'safe zone' along Turkey's southern border by driving out Kurdish militias that the country views as terrorists.

Seeking protection, the Kurds turned to the Syrian government and its main ally, Russia. The Syrian army has advanced into parts of the area, and Russia deployed its troops in some areas to act as a buffer force.

Russia has powerful sway with all the multiple parties vying for the border. Turkey has suggested it wants Russia to persuade the Syrian government to cede it control over a major chunk of territory in the northeast.

The Kurds are hoping Russia can keep Turkey out and help preserve some of the autonomy they carved out for themselves during Syria's civil war.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has vowed to reunite all the territory under Damascus' rule. On Tuesday, Assad called Erdogan 'a thief' and said he was ready to support any 'popular resistance' against Turkey's invasion.

'We are in the middle of a battle and the right thing to do is to rally efforts to lessen the damages from the invasion and to expel the invader sooner or later,' he told troops during a visit to the northwestern province of Idlib.

European Council chief previously described the 'so-called' ceasefire as 'a demand of capitulation of the Kurds'.

Ahead of the ceasefire's ending, Erdogan said 1,300 Syrian Kurdish fighters had yet to vacate a stretch of the border as required under the deal. He said 800 fighters had left so far. The Kurdish-led force has said it will carry out the pullout.

Erdogan wants to create a 20-mile wide 'safe zone' along Turkey's southern border, while Putin is trying to improve the territorial integrity of Syria after allying with the regime

Under the accord, the Kurdish fighters are to vacate a stretch of territory roughly 120 kilometers (75 miles) wide and 30 kilometers (20 miles) deep between the Syrian border towns of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.

A top Kurdish official said today that Syria's Kurds had 'fully complied with the conditions of the ceasefire agreement' and 'withdrawn all our military and security forces from the area of military operations'.

But that leaves the situation in the rest of the northeastern border unclear.

Currently, other than the few places where Syrian troops have deployed, they are solely in the hands of the Kurdish-led fighters - a situation Ankara has repeatedly said it cannot tolerate.

Turkey considers the fighters terrorists, because of their links to Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey.

Bashar al-Assad was out visiting Syrian troops on the front line Tuesday as he described Erdogan as a 'thief' and vowed to unite all Syrian territory under his rule

Assad visited government troops in al-Habit, in Idlib province, hours before a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds - who are fighting in the north of the country - was due to expire

The Syrian government has entered into a defence agreement with the Kurds to protect them from Turkish troops in return for territory

Turkey wants to control a 'safe zone' extending more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) along the border, from the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border. There, it plans to resettle about 2 million of the roughly 3.6 million Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey.

Russia sent a new signal to Turkey about the need to negotiate directly with Assad. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that only Damascus could authorize the Turkish troop presence on the Syrian territory.

Assad gave a symbolic show of Damascus' goal of regaining the border, visiting troops in northwestern Idlib province, where his forces are battling rebels.

Idlib is adjacent to an enclave along the border that Turkey captured several years ago in another incursion.

Turkey also has observation points inside Idlib, negotiated with Russia, to monitor a cease-fire there between the government and opposition fighters and jihadi groups.

Assad called Erdogan 'a thief, he stole the factories and the wheat and the oil in cooperation with Daesh (the Islamic State group) and now is stealing the land.'

He said his government had offered a clemency to Kurdish fighters - whom it considers separatists - to 'ensure that everyone is ready to resist the aggression' and fight the Turkish assault.

Syrian state media reported Tuesday that government forces entered new areas in Hassakeh province at the far eastern end of the border, under the arrangement with the Kurds.

Turkey's incursion into Syria has led to an international outcry, which has in turn enraged Erdogan, who has accused his NATO allies of not standing by Turkey.

European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday condemned the incursion and called on Turkey - which is a candidate for EU membership - to pull out troops.

Assad said that his forces allied with the Kurds were ready to repel the Turkish invasion, if Erdogan restarts his attacks

Assad reviews battle plans with his generals in Syria, who agreed to step in and help the Kurds defend themselves against Turkey

Turkey invaded Syria, sparking the deal between Assad (pictured) and the Kurds after Donald Trump agreed to withdraw American troops

'No one is fooled by the so-called cease-fire,' Tusk told EU lawmakers. Any course other than a Turkish withdrawal 'means unacceptable suffering, a victory for Daesh (the Islamic State group), and a serious threat to European security,' he said.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer proposed the establishment of an internationally controlled security zone in Syria, 'with the inclusion of Turkey and Russia.'

Meanwhile, U.S. troops pulling out of Syria were heading to neighboring Iraq, but Iraq's military said Tuesday the troops did not have permission to stay in the country.

The Iraqi military in a statement said the American troops currently withdrawing from Syria have acquired permission from the Iraqi Kurdish regional government to enter Iraq to later be transferred out of the country. It added that these troops do not have any approval to stay in Iraq.

The statement appears to contradict U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper who has said that under the current plan, all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military will continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State group to prevent its resurgence.

Esper said he has spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to shift the more than 700 troops leaving Syria into western Iraq.