US plans to increase sanctions pressure on Turkey
The United States will exert diplomatic pressure on Turkey and threaten Ankara with additional sanctions to persuade it to end its military offensive in northeastern Syria, a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday.
A week after the US policy change and the withdrawal of troops from Syria, allowing Turkey to attack Washington's Syrian Kurdish allies, President Donald Trump announced a package of sanctions to punish Ankara, but Turkey ignored the threats and continued its offensive on Tuesday.
Speaking at a briefing, the American official, who declined to identify himself, said the Turkish invasion caused "confusion" in what he said was once a relatively stable part of northern Syria. According to him, a delegation from Washington, led by Vice President Mike Pence, will leave for Ankara within 24 hours for further negotiations.
“The plan is to keep putting pressure on Turkey as we assess our chances of getting things back on track, and a ceasefire will be a key element of that return to normal,” a senior administration official said.
On Sunday, the United States announced it would withdraw its entire 1,000-man army from northern Syria. The official said the United States had already withdrawn all forces from the Syrian city of Manbij, where Turkish and American troops were conducting joint patrols. The official added that Washington continues to control airspace in the region.
When the United States withdrew, the SDF immediately forged a new alliance with the Russian-backed government of President Bashar al-Assad, inviting the army into cities across its territory.
"We plan to tighten sanctions and take other measures, many of which have been reported to the administration, in the absence of a resolution to this crisis," the official said.
Earlier it was reported that the US President introduced 50% duties on the import of Turkish steel, which, in his opinion, should "hurt" the Turkish economy. However, on Tuesday it became clear that if this would have a negative impact, it would only affect the companies of the United States, which imported steel billets from Turkey. As reported, after the announcement of the sanctions, the Turkish lira strengthened slightly against the dollar.