Mr Erdogan said Turkish and Russian officials will meet to finalise Turkey's S-400 surface-to-air missile systems deal in the coming week.

Turkey has been negotiating with Russia to buy the system for more than a year and today's meeting in Ankara marked the third set of talks between Mr Erdogan and his Russian counterpart for the third time in less than a month

Washington and some of its NATO allies see the decision as a snub because the weapons cannot be integrated into the alliance's defences.

Turkey expects to receive its first such system in 2019, defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said in November adding that the deal includes two S-400 systems while one was optional.

Mr Erdogan, in a joint press conference with Mr Putin said: "Our officials will come together in the coming week to finalise the S-400 issue.”

Turkey has been working to develop its own defence systems and equipment and has lined up several projects for the coming years including combat helicopters, tanks, drones and more.

Mr Erdogan also said Ankara and Moscow were on the same page regarding the US move on Jerusalem and added that two leaders would keep in contact on the issue.

The Russian President visited Ankara today with a spokesman for his Turkish counterpart saying the pair would discuss the situation in Jerusalem after Donald Trump recognised the city as the capital of Israel amid a war of words between Turkey and Israel.

Mr Trump's announcement has triggered a war of words between Mr Erdogan and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, straining ties between the two US allies which were restored only last year after a six-year breach that followed the Israeli storming of a Turkish aid ship.

On Sunday, Mr Erdogan called Israel a "terror state". Mr Netanyahu responded by saying he would accept no moral lectures from  Mr Erdogan who he accused of bombing Kurdish villages, jailing opponents and supporting terrorists.

And today Mr Erdogan took aim directly at Washington over Mr Trump's move: "The ones who made Jerusalem a dungeon for Muslims and members of other religions will never be able to clean the blood from their hands," he said in a speech in Ankara. 

"With their decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the United States has become a partner in this bloodshed."

Mr Trump's announcement triggered days of protests across the Muslim world and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in which scores of Palestinians were wounded and several killed.

Commenting on the crisis, Mr Putin said any steps to pre-empt an agreement between Israel and Palestine are counter productive. 

He said such steps are destabilising and could provoke conflict. 

Hours before the visit to Turkey, Mr Putin ordered "a significant part" of Moscow's military contingent there to start withdrawing on Monday, declaring their work largely done.

Mr Putin, who polls show will be re-elected comfortably in March, made the announcement during a surprise visit to Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria - his first since Russia intervened in the conflict. He held talks with President Bashar al-Assad and addressed Russian forces.