US presence in northern Syria serves the Kurds, not Turkey
The US decision to keep 200 troops in northern Syria is a blow to Ankara.
Nearly all Turkish media outlets cast Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's statements about the S-400 missile deal with Russia as breaking news. It was. Following his talks with his American counterpart Mike Pompeo, Cavusoglu responded to questions from journalists on Turkey’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. "There is no need to explain anything about the S-400s since it is already a done deal,” he said, adding that Turkey would not break its agreement, and that "others’ commentary is not of interest to us.”
Who might those “others” be?
Likely the Americans. Turkish government mouthpiece Daily Sabah wrote: “US officials have threatened their NATO ally that purchasing the S-400 system could jeopardize Turkey's purchase of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets and possibly result in US sanctions. In multiple negotiation talks with a US delegation, Turkey has emphasized that it needs both the S-400 and Patriot systems.”
Ever since the Turkish government signed an agreement with Moscow in December 2017 to purchase the system, the issue has become an ongoing controversy between Ankara and Washington. The Russian missiles are expected to be delivered by the end of 2019. Yet Turkey is also part of the F-35 project, and the first delivery is expected by 2020.
