Russia said it was working to prevent a conflict between Turkish troops and Syrian government forces that have moved in to Kurdish-held areas in the northeast. The Kurdish administration invited the Syrian military in to shield it from the Turkish attack. A day ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to Ankara, tasked with negotiating out an end to the attack, the Kremlin said Erdogan had accepted an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Russia “in coming days” to discuss Syria.