Todd Bishop
After Russia and Turkey reached an agreement on the situation in Syria, US President Trump announced on October 23 that he would lift sanctions against Turkey on the grounds that the Turkish government has told the United States to “permanently” ceasefire. After the news came out, the outside world speculated that from the beginning of the war to the ceasefire, what happened behind the scenes, who is the key driver behind the scenes.
17-day big country game
“The Turkish government has informed us that they will stop fighting and offensive in Syria and have a permanent ceasefire,” Donald Trump said at the White House on October 23. “So I have instructed the Minister of Finance, Mnuchin, to lift from 10 The sanctions imposed on Turkey since the 14th of the month, unless there is a situation we are not happy with.”
Trump once again reiterated that the United States is “withdrawing” from this country, leaving only “a small number of” troops to “protect oil” in Syria.
“Let others fight for this long-term bloody sand,” Trump said.
Prior to this, the Russian leaders reached an agreement on the situation in Syria on October 22 and announced a memorandum of understanding containing 10 points. The Kurdish armed forces will withdraw 30 kilometers from the Syrian border. The Russian and Syrian troops will be deployed to the northeastern part of Syria, and the earth will not launch a new offensive. The “Peace of Peace” will be carried out in a limited area.
On October 6, Turkey mobilized under the acquiescence of the United States to launch military operations against Kurdish forces in Syria. Trump was accused of abandoning the US ally in Syria’s front line and handing over the fruits of victory to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia and Iran. Under pressure from public opinion, Trump signed a sanctions against Turkey on October 14.
Subsequently, US Vice President Mike Pence visited Ankara on October 17, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to a 120-hour ceasefire on the condition that Kurdish armed forces left the border 30 kilometers and lifted sanctions.
“We save countless lives”
At the same time as the cancellation of the sanctions, Trump stressed: “Our negotiations with Turkey have saved countless lives. This result did not let the Americans shed a blood: no one was injured, no one shot, no one died.”
Trump believes that the United States has done a “great thing”. “This is the result of our American efforts. It is not anyone else, not another country. It’s that simple. We are willing to accept accusations, and we are willing to accept honor.”
Russia today (RT) said that Trump’s statement only praised the US government’s pressure on the Turkish side to “save” the Kurds and “the other countries did not contribute”. However, some analysts believe that Putin and Erdogan’s long talks on October 22 for seven hours played a key role in the ceasefire.
According to “Russia Today”, after the agreement was reached, the Kurdish armed commander Mazloum Abdi made a video call with several senior Russian military commanders and expressed support for the Russian army and Syrian government forces to patrol the area. Thanks also to Russian and Russian President Vladimir Putin for “guaranteeing the security of the Kurdish people.”
CNN explained that the United States is not only the biggest loser, but more importantly, the agreement means that the Kurds have a new “guarantor”. This “guarantor” is obviously not a decision to withdraw. Washington, became Moscow.
