Trump: U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey
Cites ‘permanent’ cease-fire in Syria
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will lift sanctions on Turkey, saying that the Turkish government has informed the White House that it will abide by what he characterized as a “permanent” cease-fire along the border with Syria.
Trump also pushed back against critics by arguing that he is removing U.S. troops from a region where they should not be involved. “Let someone else fight over this long-bloodstained sand,” Trump said.
He took credit for the ceasefire and suggested the agreement would save tens of thousands of Kurdish lives in the region — even though, one day earlier, Russia and Turkey agreed to a plan to push Syrian Kurdish fighters from a wide swath of territory just south of Turkey’s border, cementing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s preeminent role in Syria as American troops depart and U.S. inf luence wanes.
The agreement will leave Turkey and Russia in control of territory formerly held by Kurdish forces once allied with the U.S.
The Trump administration had announced the sanctions on Oct. 14 after the Turkish military offensive against Kurdishled forces in northern Syria.
In his remarks Wednesday, Trump called the cease-fire “permanent,” but added that the word is “questionable” when discussing the region — and said sanctions on Turkey would be lifted “unless something happens that we’re not happy with.”
Trump also said he had spoken by phone with Kurdish general Mazloum Abdi, who he said assured him that Islamic State fighters will remain in captivity.
“A few got out … ,” Trump said, adding that some have been recaptured, despite statements from other administration officials to the contrary.
And in a sign of tensions between Trump and leaders of the Republican Party, Trump suggested that he remains open to a potential White House visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next month — despite a resolution introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell, R-Ky., on Tuesday urging him to rescind the invitation until a genuine cease-fire is reached.
“In his mind, he’s doing the right thing for his country, and we may be meeting in the very near future,” Trump said of Erdogan.
Trump has been harshly criticized by members of both parties over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria, with many arguing that Trump gave Erdogan the green light to launch a military offensive against the Syrian Kurds.
On Wednesday, lawmakers similarly denounced Trump’s decision to lift sanctions.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Trump’s announcement “another nonsensical and counterproductive foreign policy decision” that “includes no plan to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
“The notion that the United States should trust Turkey, which has already showed a willingness to ignore President Trump, to now secure ISIS fighters and sympathizers is delusional and dangerous,” Schumer said in a statement. “President Trump’s weakness in the face of strongmen and his reckless decision-making is putting the lives of our allies, Americans, and our national security at risk.”