As he cuts his seven-country Middle East tour short today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again finds himself fending off questions about foreign policy directives hatched via presidential tweet. The latest confusion began on Sunday when President Donald Trump called for a "safe zone" to protect US-backed Syrian Kurds fighting near the Turkish border.

Why it matters: Trump’s tweet, Pompeo told reporters, aimed to “make sure that the folks who fought with us to take down the [Islamic State] caliphate … have security, and also that terrorists acting out of Syria aren’t able to attack Turkey. Those are the twin aims.”

Since the United States and Turkey are still hashing out the details, Pompeo said, the “precise methodology” on next steps is still in the works. The top US diplomat indicated that the Trump team hasn’t decided whether it will be a “safe zone” or a “buffer zone.” President Trump called his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan today and called for the United States and Turkey to work together in the northeast, including to make sure the Syrian Kurds are not attacked, according to a readout of the call.

Give and take: The emerging “safe zone” plan could see the Turks gain more control on the border with Syria, potentially allaying Ankara's fears of US military support for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG. Experts tell Al-Monitor such a zone could keep Turkish forces away from areas liberated from the Islamic State in the Euphrates Valley.