Pence, Pompeo arrive in Turkey to push Syria ceasefire

ANKARA, Turkey — US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have arrived in Turkey to mount an improbable push for a ceasefire in Syria.

Their visit to Ankara today to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes a day after US President Donald Trump suggested the US has no stake in defending Kurdish fighters once allied against the Islamic State jihadist group.

The high-level US delegation is to warn Erdogan that Washington will escalate economic sanctions if his assault on Kurdish fighters continues. But the Turkish leader has said he would only agree to a ceasefire if Kurdish forces abandon key positions in Syria.

US officials acknowledge the odds are slim for an immediate halt to the weeklong conflict. The visit comes as Trump faces bipartisan condemnation in Washington for withdrawing American troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for the Turkish incursion.

— AP