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Russian President Vladimir Putin met President Bashar Assad of Syria in the Kremlin, video distributed by the Kremlin press service on Thursday showed.

Putin told Assad he was concerned that tensions are rising in the Middle East, but neither leader provided further details on their talks, the AP reported.

“I am very interested in your opinion on how the situation in the region as a whole is developing,” Putin said to Assad. “Unfortunately, there is a tendency towards escalation, we can see that. This also applies directly to Syria.”

The Kremlin said Putin and Assad’s meeting took place Wednesday.

Putin and Assad last met in March 2023 in the Kremlin on the anniversary of Syria’s 12-year uprising-turned-civil war. At that meeting, Putin emphasized the Russian military’s role in stabilizing the country.

“Considering all the events that are taking place in the world as a whole and in the Eurasian region today, our meeting today seems very important,” Assad told Putin via a Russian translator.

The Kremlin did not provide details on Putin and Assad’s talks but one potential point of discussion was around Russia and Turkey restoring diplomatic relations.