US, Russia call for de-escalation in N. Syria amid retaliatory strikes
THE UNITED States and Russia have called for tensions to de-escalate in northern Syria amid retaliatory strikes by Türkiye and the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian branch YPG along the Syrian border.
The U.S. opposes any military action that destabilizes the situation in Syria, a State Department spokesperson said. Separately, Russia called on Türkiye to show restraint in its use of military force in Syria and to keep tensions from escalating.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington had communicated its serious concerns to Ankara about the impact of escalation on the goal of fighting Daesh.
“We have urged Türkiye against such operations, just as we have urged our Syrian partners against attacks or escalation,” the spokesperson said in emailed responses to questions.
“We continue to oppose any military action that destabilizes the situation in Syria or violates Iraq’s sovereignty through military actions uncoordinated with the Iraqi government. We also oppose the recent attacks into southern Türkiye that have reportedly led to the deaths of multiple civilians,” the spokesperson said.
The United States has allied with the PKK/YPG in the fight against Daesh in Syria, causing a deep rift with NATO ally Türkiye.
Russia called for Türkiye to exercise “restraint” and warned against “destabilizing” Syria. “We understand and respect Türkiye’s concerns regarding its own security. We believe this is the legal right of Türkiye,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters yesterday.
“We still call on all parties to refrain from steps that could lead to seriously destabilizing the situation,” he said. He added that it could “boomerang back and further complicate the security situation”.
“We will call on our Turkish colleagues to show certain restraint in order to prevent an escalation of tension, not only in the northern and northeastern regions of Syria but throughout the entire territory,” the envoy, Alexander Lavrentyev, also said adding Türkiye had not notified Russia in advance about its strikes on Syria and Iraq.
“We hope to convince our Turkish partners to refrain from using excessive force on Syrian territory,” Lavrentyev said.
Russia’s Tass news agency reported that Lavrentyev said that the withdrawal of a U.S. contingent from the northeast of Syria would contribute to the “stabilization” of the situation.
“Russia has for months ... done everything possible to prevent any large-scale ground operation,” Lavrentyev said in the Kazakh capital, which is hosting a tripartite meeting between Russia, Türkiye and Iran on Syria.
The three countries are major players in the war in Syria, which has claimed nearly half a million lives since 2011.
Asked if Türkiye discussed this operation with Russia and the United States, Erdoğan said Monday: “We have not had any conversations with (U.S. President Joe) Biden or (Russian President Vladimir) Putin regarding this operation. However, both Biden and Putin already know that we can do such things in this region at any time.”
Erdoğan recalled the Sochi deal between Türkiye and Russia to remove PKK/YPG terrorists from northeastern Syria bordering Türkiye.
“They had the responsibility to clear the terrorists from the area. Unfortunately, even though we reminded them many times over and over, they did not do this.
“We said that we would not remain silent against this and that we would take steps against the terrorists there if they could not do it,” he said.
Türkiye is with the United States in NATO, Erdoğan also said, noting, however, that Washington has unfortunately sent thousands of equipment, ammunition and weapons to the terror zones in Syria. Meanwhile, Germany on Monday urged a “proportional” response in compliance with international law after Türkiye carried out airstrikes against bases of PKK/YPG militants across northern Syria and Iraq.
“Civilians at all times must be protected,” German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger told a government briefing, describing reports of civilian victims in the Turkish air raids as “extremely worrying.” “We call on Türkiye to react proportionally and to respect international law,” he added. Burger said Germany urged, “Türkiye and all other participants to do nothing that would aggravate the already tense situation in northern Syria and Iraq.”