Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Putin on Sunday that the Kremlin needs to "clear" Kurdish forces in northern Syria, AFP reports.
Erdogan has threatened to launch a new invasion of northern Syria to oust Kurdish forces he blames for a November bomb blast that killed six people in Istanbul.
A 2019 deal between Moscow and Ankara ended another offensive, creating a 30-kilometer "safe zone" to protect Turkey from cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
Erdogan accuses Russia, a key player in the Syrian conflict that backs President Bashar al-Assad, of failing to implement the deal.
Erdogan told Putin in a telephone conversation that "it is important to clear the Kurdish fighters from the border to a depth of at least 30 kilometers," the report said. Erdogan said it was a "priority".
The Kremlin confirmed that the 2019 deal was discussed during the phone call.
"The defense and foreign policy departments of the two countries will maintain close contacts in this connection," the Kremlin statement said.
Part of the Kurdish forces are stationed in areas under the military control of the Russian Federation.
Both Moscow and Washington are putting diplomatic pressure on Ankara not to launch a new ground campaign.
Since November 20, in response to the bomb explosion, Turkey has shelled Kurdish positions near the border with artillery fire and drone strikes.
Kurdish groups deny their involvement in the terrorist attack in Istanbul.