Ankara agreed to a ceasefire in five days, promising to end a military operation if Kurdish forces withdraw from the buffer zone in northern Syria.

"We will suspend the Spring Peace campaign for five days to allow the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian National Defense Force (NDF) to withdraw from established security buffers. This is not. ceasefire, "Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a press conference in Ankara yesterday.

The announcement came after US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Turkey to demand that the country stop attacking the Kurds in northern Syria. US President Donald Trump welcomed Ankara's announcement and praised his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"This is a great day with America, with Turkey and the Kurds, a great day with civilization. This is a situation that everyone is satisfied with. The President of Turkey is a good leader and did the right thing, I respect him, "Trump told supporters in Texas on October 17.

The US president said that sanctions against Ankara are no longer needed, but many US lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with Turkey's campaign suspension.

Situation of factions controlling Syrian territory on October 13. Graphics: RFE.

Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump's key ally in parliament, welcomed the new developments but vowed to put the Turkish embargo into voting in the Senate.

"The situation in Syria has not changed, except the Kurds have the opportunity to leave to avoid being slaughtered," Marco Rubio, a Republican congressman at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters at Washington.

Turkey launched Operation Spring Peace in northeastern Syria on October 9 against Kurdish militias, which Ankara considers terrorists. Turkey's goal is to push the Kurdish forces off the border, opening a safety buffer of about 32 km in northern Syria.