Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had asked President Vladimir Putin for Russia to step aside in Syria and leave Turkey to deal with Syrian government forces alone, after 34 Turkish soldiers were killed this week.

Government forces, backed by Russian air force, have waged a major assault to capture the northwest province of Idlib, the last remaining territory held by rebels backed by Turkey.

Syrian and Russian warplanes on Saturday kept up air strikes on the Idlib city of Saraqeb, the Syrian Observatory war monitor reported. The strategic city sits on a key international roadway and has been a flashpoint of fighting in recent days.

With diplomacy sponsored by Ankara and Moscow to ease tensions in tatters, Turkey has come closer than ever to confrontation with Russia on the battlefield.

Turkish strikes using drones and smart missiles late on Friday that hit Hezbollah headquarters near Saraqeb killed nine of its members and wounded 30 in one of the bloodiest attacks on the Iran-backed group in Syria ever according to a commander in the regional alliance backing Damascus.

The Observatory said 48 pro-Damascus troops in all had been killed by Turkish strikes over the past 24 hours.

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Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan said he had told Putin in a phone call to stand aside and let Turkey "to do what is necessary" with the Syrian government alone.

He said Turkey does not intend to leave Syria right now.

As tensions rose, Russia and Turkey have held three rounds of talks, the first two of which did not yield a ceasefire.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the two sides agreed in this week's talks to reduce tensions on the ground in Idlib while continuing military action there.

Free pass to Europe

After the death of its soldiers in a Syrian government air strike on Thursday, Turkey said it would allow migrants it hosts to freely pass to Europe.

Erdogan said in Istanbul on Saturday that 18,000 migrants has crossed the border, without providing evidence, adding that the number could rise to 25,000-30,000 on Saturday.

Greek police fired teargas toward migrants who were gathered on its border with Turkey and demanding entry on Saturday.

"We will not close these doors in the coming period and this will continue. Why? The European Union needs to keep its promises. We don't have to take care of this many refugees, to feed them," he said.

He complained the funds transferred to Turkey from the European Union to support refugees were arriving too slowly and that he had asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to send the funds directly to the Turkish government.

Turkey's borders to Europe were closed to migrants under an accord between Turkey and the European Union that halted the 2015-16 migration crisis when more than a million people crossed into Europe by foot.

China: Idlib problem should be settled through dialogue and negotiations

China's permanent representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun urged the parties concerned to seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Idlib problem through dialogue and negotiations.

Speaking at an emergency Security Council Meeting on Syria, Zhang said that China has been following very closely the developments in Idlib, the Idlib problem is rooted in the control of Idlib by terrorist forces.

Noting that the parties concerned should continue to seek a comprehensive and long-term solution to the Idlib problem through dialogue and negotiations, he said Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity must be upheld in the process.

He added the Security Council must act in an impartial, objective and comprehensive manner to create enabling conditions for a political settlement for the Syrian issue.

Eradicating the forces of terror is a necessary requirement for the restoration of peace and stability in Syria and the region, said the Chinese envoy, adding that the listed terrorist groups should be resolutely combated in accordance with relevant Council resolutions and international law, and the safe haven established by terrorist forces in Syria should be removed.

"At the same time, the counter-terrorism operations should be cautious, not to harm civilians," Zhang said. "Weapons seized in the course of counter-terrorism operations should be investigated for their origins, and the channels for supplying weapons to terrorist organizations should be cut off."

He also stressed that measures should be taken to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from fleeing to other countries or regions to continue their terrorist activities.

(With input from Reuters, Xinhua)