Erdogan, Trump discuss Syria crisis in phone call

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US counterpart Donald Trump discussed the crisis in Syria during a telephone conversation late on Wednesday, officials said, vowing to stay in close contact over the situation.

Erdogan and Trump "exchanged views on the latest developments in Syria," a Turkish presidential source said, without providing further details. 

The White House later confirmed the call and issued a brief readout. 

The pair spoke "to discuss the current crisis in Syria," it said, adding: "The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact about the situation."

The talks come after Trump warned Russia over its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying US missiles "will be coming" in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack. 

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier in the day told Russia and the United States to end their "street fighting" over Syria, saying it was time to put aside a rivalry that risked harming civilians.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Turkey was worried by the "arm wrestling" of world powers over Syria, adding he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin how to stop chemical attacks in the country.

"We are extremely worried that some countries confident of their military power are turning Syria into a scene for arm wrestling," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara after an unprecedented upsurge of tensions between Washington and Moscow.

Erdogan added that he would speak to Putin later on Thursday on "how we stop this chemical massacre" after an alleged chemical attack in Syria reportedly killed dozens.

Turkey and the United States are key NATO allies, but their relations have been strained over a number of issues including Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish militia deemed as a terrorist outfit by Ankara.

And in recent months, Turkey has worked closely with Russia despite their differences.

Ankara backs rebel forces seeking Assad's ouster while Moscow remains major ally of the regime in Damascus.