Trump Called on Russia to Stop Supporting Assad

Donald Trump held a telephone conversation with the President of Turkey and expressed concern about the extent of violence in the Syrian province of Idlib. There, Russia and Turkey support different sides of the conflict. US President Donald Trump called on Russia to stop supporting the "atrocities" of Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian authorities. The White House spokesman, Judd Deer made this statement on Monday night, February 17, after president’s telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking with Erdogan, Trump expressed his concern about the extent of violence in the Syrian province of Idlib. Idlib became one of the points where the interests of the Russian-backed Syrian authorities and Turkey came into conflict. On February 10, Turkish armed forces attacked 115 targets of the Syrian government army in Idlib, killing, according to their own data, at least 101 military men. The incident was a response to shelling by the Syrian government forces, which killed five Turkish soldiers and injured five more. Assad troops, with the support of Russian aviation, are conducting a large-scale operation in Idlib. This is the last region of the country under the control of jihadists and rebels. In early February, Ankara ultimately demanded that Damascus withdraw government troops from Turkish observation posts in Idlib. The difficult relationship between Trump and Erdogan, complicated by Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM), improved after the November talks between the presidents at the White House. “I’m a big fan of the president. We have a great relationship,” Trump told reporters then, calling the talks fruitful.