Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey?
Washington’s signals that it is scaling back support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have given US-Turkey relations their most tangible lift in years, though risks remain for Ankara.
ANKARA — Washington’s signals that it is scaling back support for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have given US-Turkey relations their most tangible lift in years, easing one of the most long-standing sources of mistrust between the two capitals. Yet the momentum remains fragile, analysts say, dependent on developments on the ground in Syria.
The shift in Washington’s stance became clearer amid a rapid reversal in northeastern Syria, where the SDF has lost territory and influence in recent days following a Syrian government offensive and a Jan. 18 ceasefire deal that curtailed its autonomy. Under heavy military pressure, the group withdrew from major urban areas, including Raqqa and parts of Deir Ezzor. The outcome weakened the SDF as it succumbed to many of Damascus' demands, though negotiations remain ongoing.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Ankara, Washington’s Syria envoy and the main US mediator in Damascus-SDF talks, wrote on X on Tuesday that “the original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired,” signaling the US' readiness to move past a partnership that had long strained ties with Turkey.
For Ankara, Barrack’s remarks marked a pivotal moment, as the SDF issue — long viewed in Turkey as the most destabilizing element in the bilateral relationship — was seen not as a concession extracted from Washington but as a belated course correction driven by shifting US priorities.
