Turkey and Russia are going to establish a "terror-free zone" in northern Syria. Both countries have agreed on this. The Russian and Turkish armies are advancing today into the Turkish security zone. Turkey is also extending the ceasefire by one week.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan said that Russian and Turkish soldiers will jointly patrol a ten-kilometer-wide strip. This is a narrower area than the 32 kilometers Turkey previously declared. It concerns the area where Turkey launched an offensive two weeks ago to expel the Kurds. Turkey had earlier agreed on a pause with the United States to allow the Kurds to withdraw.
Russian President Putin said he had spoken with Erdogan about Syria. He is encouraging Syria and Turkey to begin negotiations and pointed out that stability in Syria is necessary. Foreign troops present there without Damascus' permission must leave the country.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after the disarmament of Kurdish militias in northeastern Syria, Russian-Turkish patrols are being deployed. These are intended to oversee the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters. From today, the Russian and Turkish armies will enter the Turkish security zone in the north of that country, Lavrov said. This means the Russians may confront the Kurds, who were previously supported by the United States.
The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazlum Abdi, told U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that all Kurdish forces had withdrawn from the Syrian border zone with Turkey just before the ceasefire deadline.
The Turks have meanwhile responded that there is "no need" to resume the offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria since they have pulled back from the border areas. “At this stage, it is not necessary to launch a new operation,” the Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday evening, adding that the Kurdish withdrawal was confirmed by the U.S.