Russia urges Turkey not to launch a military offensive in northern Syria.
“We hope that Ankara will refrain from actions that could lead to a dangerous deterioration of the already difficult situation in Syria,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.
The statement comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday again threatened to attack the terrorist Kurdish guerrilla organization PKK. The aim is to establish a 30-mile-deep “security zone” along the border, according to Erdogan.
“We will see who supports Turkey’s legitimate security efforts and who opposes them,” Erdogan said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacted by warning that such an offensive risks “undermining regional stability”.
Russia and Turkey concluded an agreement in 2019 that the countries’ military would control an area at the border and 30 km into Syria.