© Reuters / Umit Bektas
Commenting on the upcoming Wednesday meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Erdogan stated that he is planning to discuss the creation of a security zone in Syria. He reportedly noted, however, that Ankara would never allow turning "Syria into a swamp" like northern Iraq.
"We will ensure the security of our borders on our own. We will defeat Daesh ourselves, and I told [US President Donald] Trump: it's enough if you provide logistical support to us. We will also take Manbij and give it back to its hosts", Erdogan stated.
Earlier, in December, the Kurdish fighters announced their withdrawal from the Syrian city of Manbij near the Turkish border and called on Damascus to take control of the area in order to protect it in the event of Ankara launching a military operation against the Kurds.
The situation in Syria changed after US President Donald Trump revealed his plans to withdraw troops from the war-torn country, claiming that the American forces had won the fight against the Daesh terror group.
Comment: Erdogan is still playing the balancing act he seemingly excels at. On the one hand, threatening the Kurds (and the U.S.) with an invasion of Manbij, deal-making with the U.S. (with the security zone idea), and placating the Russians (and by extension the Syrians) by promising to leave after invading more of northern Syria. But whatever he says, it's pretty clear that the overall trajectory of Turkey's foreign policy of late has been in line with Russia in the Astana format for Syria. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
See also: Erdogan tells Trump that Turkey ready to take over Syria's Manbij