Hours before the expiration of Erdogan's deadline .. Summit in Sochi discuss the future of northern Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began talks in Sochi on the future of northern Syria.

This comes before it expires on Tuesday evening the deadline for a ceasefire reached by negotiations between Ankara and Washington to allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw from their positions in northeastern Syria.

The two presidents will discuss the Turkish military operation east of the Euphrates, the Russian-Turkish agreement and the entry of Russian military police accompanied by Syrian regime forces to the cities of Ain al-Arab and Manbij.

According to Russia Today, Putin expressed his hope that "the high-level Russian-Turkish relations will play an ideal role in resolving all outstanding issues in the region."

Lead time and waving
Earlier, the Turkish president confirmed that Turkey would continue its military operations in northern Syria if it did not withdraw from what it described as terrorists, according to the agreement between his country and the United States.

Erdogan said in a statement before going to Sochi that the deadline for the five days of withdrawal of those expires at 10 pm local time Tuesday, adding: "We are following closely, and if the United States does not keep its promise, our military operation will continue from the point where it stopped with greater determination and strength."

The deadline for a ceasefire, negotiated between Ankara and Washington, to allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw from their positions in northeastern Syria expires on Tuesday evening.

Under the agreement, all military operations in northeastern Syria would be suspended within 120 hours, allowing Kurdish fighters to evacuate their positions near the Turkish border.

In Manbij, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that hundreds of fighters from the Syrian National Army, displaced and refugees for years from the city and its countryside, are waiting for the deadline agreed upon between the US and Turkish sides to know the fate of their city.

Many of Manbij's refugees and IDPs are counting on Operation Spring of Peace to return to their city, especially after Syrian regime forces entered the country after US forces withdrew.