The answer came quickly and it is unmistakable. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has flatly rejected US demands for an immediate ceasefire after his troops invaded northern Syria.
"We will never declare a ceasefire," he said on Tuesday after a CNN-Türk report in conversation with journalists on their return from a visit to Azerbaijan. The Turkish troops would have to reach their destination, and that was the establishment of a protection zone along the border.
On Wednesday, US Vice President Mike Pence, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, set out on a mediation mission in the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdish militias in northern Syria. For Thursday, according to the White House, a meeting of pence with Erdogan is planned.
Erdogan was not impressed by the sanctions imposed on Turkey by the US. "We do not have to worry about sanctions," he said.
In Video: Trump demands ceasefire - and imposes sanctions
Yuri Gripas / REUTERS
On Monday, the US demanded an immediate ceasefire in the conflict, promised a paging brokerage and imposed sanctions on Turkey. Two ministries and three ministers were punished.
US leaves the Kurds back defenseless
The Turks had launched a cross-border military operation to northern Syria on Wednesday, just days after Erdogan told Trump he wanted a long-planned move against America's Kurdish allies in the region. Trump then announced abruptly a transfer of American troops from the conflict area to pull them out of harm's way.
He rejected criticism that this would expose the Kurds in Syria to further persecution and military force. The facts speak for themselves locally. The withdrawal of US forces was interpreted as a green light for the invasion of Turkey in Syria. The White House also denies this. The Kurdish units feel betrayed by the US and recently announced a desperate deal with the regime of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.