Turkey wary of US-Russia deal on Syria
Ankara is increasingly concerned that Washington is working with Moscow to secure an accord for northern Syria between the Bashar al-Assad regime and the Kurds.
The summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki was watched very closely in Turkey. Ankara’s focus, however, was on what it may produce for Syria, rather than the issues that created a storm in the United States and Europe.
Ankara is disconcerted by recent reports in the American press of behind-the-door talks between Washington and Moscow about US forces leaving Syria on the condition that Russia limits Iran’s influence in that country.
Military gains by the Bashar al-Assad regime in southern Syria, with active support from Russia, while the United States backed off from supporting opposition fighters have also heightened Ankara’s concerns.
The implications of any US-Russian deal for northern Syria are at the heart of Turkish fears. Turkey wants to clear US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters in northern Syria and prevent an autonomous Kurdish entity from emerging.
