Trump Contradicts Claim of No ‘Green Light’ to Turkey in Syria

President Donald Trump on Wednesday framed the recent violence in Syria following Turkey's invasion as part of a plan the U.S. orchestrated, apparently undermining his own officials' assertions that the commander in chief did not give a "green light" to the Turkish leader to begin assaulting Kurdish forces that had previously served as key U.S. allies.

In a prepared speech at the White House in which he announced the repeal of sanctions against Turkey ordered in retaliation for its offensive against Kurdish forces, Trump portrayed the situation in northeast Syria as well on its way to a stable peace. He said he had spoken with the Kurdish commander of those troops, Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi, who Trump said expressed to him thanks for U.S. support.

"Our troops are safe and the pain and suffering of the three-day fight that occurred was directly responsible for our ability to make an agreement with Turkey and the Kurds that could never have been made without this short-term outburst," Trump said. "Now Turkey, Syria and others in the region must work to ensure that ISIS does not regain any territory. It's their neighborhood. They have to maintain it. They have to take care of it."

In his remarks Trump criticized the sweeping history of American interventions in the Middle East and the losses the U.S. has suffered as a result. He said Turkish, Syrian and Kurdish forces have been "fighting for centuries," adding, "We have done them a great service, we've done a great job for all of them, and now we're getting out."

"Today's announcement validates our course of action with Turkey that only a couple of weeks ago was scorned," Trump said.

However, what Trump characterizes as a "course of action" many other officials have interpreted as a sudden, dangerous and unplanned decision to follow through on a signature campaign promise of withdrawing the U.S. from Middle East wars without considering the consequences – one that intentionally or incidentally emboldened Turkey’s ambitions. And it contradicts how his top advisers have recently characterized that country's actions.

"The United States of America did not give a green light to Turkey to invade Syria," Vice President Mike Pence said last week, shortly after helping broker a tentative cease-fire with Turkey.

Top national security official Victoria Coates told radio host Hugh Hewitt last week that it was "utterly untrue" that Trump had authorized Turkey's invasion into Syria, adding, "Across the board, the administration has been unified in conveying to our Turkish counterparts that this is a terrible idea."

Indeed those responsible for U.S. policy in Syria have framed the last two weeks' activities as among the worst outcomes for stability in the region.

"It made no sense to scramble – scramble – the entire situation in northeast Syria in order to pursue something they could not attain," Trump's special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey told Congress on Tuesday, referencing Turkey and its decision to launch a campaign against the Kurdish troops it considers inextricably linked with terrorists. Jeffrey also insisted the president had not given a "green light" to Erdogan.

Indeed, Trump's assessment on Wednesday conflicted sharply with the realities on the ground, where Russian forces have swiftly moved in to replace U.S. influence in the region through its tentative partnership with Turkey – a NATO ally. The president also said that fighters from the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, that had previously escaped as a result of the chaos created by the Turkish incursion have since been captured. However, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday night that 100 Islamic State group fighters had escaped. He also told CNN that Turkey's actions could amount to war crimes.

The president touted the outcome as one, "reached without spilling one ounce of American blood."

"Let someone else fight over this long bloodstained sand," he said.

Trump confirmed a small contingent of U.S. forces will "remain in the area where they have the oil," he says. He did not explain how the troops would overcome what many analysts consider an untenable situation of too few support forces to maintain their presence in a sovereign country surrounded by heavy opposition.