President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia would not rule out sending fresh arms shipments to the embattled Syrian regime.

"If we conclude such contracts, then we will deliver on such contracts," he told reporters at the end of a G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

"We are supplying arms to the legitimate government in accordance with legal contracts," Putin said at the end of a summit that saw G8 leaders call for peace talks on the Syrian conflict "as soon as possible."