(CNN) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed US calls for a ceasefire in northern Syria and said that he’s not worried about American-imposed sanctions, or the advancement of Russian-backed Syrian forces toward the Turkish border. Speaking to journalists traveling on his presidential plane following a visit to Azerbaijan Tuesday, Erdogan said a ceasefire was off the table. “Declare a ceasefire, they say.
We will never declare a ceasefire,” Erdogan said. “We do not sit at the table with terrorist organizations.” Erdogan’s comments come as Russian-backed Syrian regime troops on Tuesday gained control of the town of Manbij and surrounding areas, until recently an active US military outpost.
Russia has stepped up its role in the Syrian conflict by deploying military police to the country’s north — filling a vacuum left by the withdrawal of US troops from the area.
Russian units are patrolling a contact line between Syrian and Turkish forces, according to a statement by Russia’s Defense Ministry. On Tuesday, Russia’s presidential envoy on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, told state news agency TASS that Moscow “won’t allow” clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces on the ground. READ MORE
