The White House says President Trump discussed the U.S. role in Syria with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but is not confirming a claim he told Erdogan the U.S. would stop arming Syrian Kurds.
In its readout of the Friday phone call between the leaders, the White House makes no specific mention of the account by Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, alleging Trump said the U.S. would stop arming the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Without addressing details, the White House instead says Trump “informed President Erdogan of pending adjustments to the military support provided to our partners on the ground in Syria, now that the battle of Raqqa is complete and we are progressing into a stabilization phase to ensure that ISIS cannot return.”
The Turkish government views the YPG as a terrorist group linked to insurgents inside Turkey. But the U.S. has embedded troops with the group and provides it with significant air support. Last month, the YPG liberated the Islamic State’s de facto capital city, Raqqa.
A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on whether Cavusoglu’s account is accurate.
The White House readout makes no reference to an ongoing spat between the U.S. and Turkey that has resulted in the reciprocal suspension of non-immigrant visas since October, in response to the arrest of a U.S. consulate employee.
The readout does say, however, that Trump and Erdogan “discussed the purchase of military equipment from the United States.”
Amid furor from U.S. lawmakers, the State Department in September canceled a $1.2 million sale of guns to Erdogan’s personal security detail, after its members broke through a Washington police line and attacked protesters in May. More than a dozen Turkish citizens face criminal charges over the attack.
Video shows Erdogan watched the attack on American protesters — who chanted “babykiller Erdogan” and waved YPG banners — after he met with Trump at the White House. Erdogan appeared to relay an order to his security detail before they broke through a police line to punch and kick protesters, though his precise role remains unclear.
Trump never publicly condemned the attack on U.S. protesters, but the White House flatly denied Erdogan’s September claim he received a personal apology from Trump when his guards were criminally charged.
