Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said that he will “never declare a ceasefire,” in response to calls by the US government to halt the Turkish military campaign in northeastern Syria. “They are pressuring us to stop the operation. They are announcing sanctions. Our goal is clear. We are not worried about any sanctions,” Erdogan stated. US President Donald Trump announced sanctions on Turkey on Monday and had earlier threatened to “obliterate” the Turkish economy over the country’s actions in Syria.
The Turkish invasion started over a week ago after US President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops from the area. Earlier this week, Russia deployed troops to northeastern Syria in order to prevent a military confrontation between Syria and Turkey. Experts have been warning that the US withdrawal is likely to play into the hands of major US adversaries including Assad, Russia, Iran and the Islamic State.
Read more: Turkey-Syria offensive: Erdogan rejects US ceasefire call
