Seizing quickly on the withdrawal of forces and betrayal of the Syrian Kurds by their lackey Donald "Impeachable Me" Trump, Russian thug Vladimir Putin is meeting today in Sochi, Russia with Turkish authoritarian Recep Erdoğan ostensibly to discuss a growing relationship and next steps in attacking the U.S.'s Kurdish allies in Syria along the border with Turkey. The move by Erdoğan to gain Russian support for a supposed "buffer zone" in Syria that would ethnically cleanse Kurds from an area along the border 75 miles long and 20 miles deep. Meanwhile, Russia is in a power-broker position following Trump's precipitous retreat. From the AP account:
"Meanwhile, Russia has stepped into the void to strengthen its role as a power broker in Syria. Seeking protection after being abandoned by the Americans, the Kurds turned to the Syrian government and its main ally, Russia. The Syrian army has advanced into parts of the area, and Russia deployed its troops in some areas to act as a buffer force.The Turkish authoritarian promised more brutal action against the Kurds if their abandonment of their homeland in northern Syria is not completed by tonight, when the so- called "pause" in the Turkish assault ends. Whether Putin can convince his puppet, Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad, to relinquish the border zone to Turkey is uncertain. What is certain is that any leverage the U.S. might have had to keep the situation from worsening into a greater humanitarian disaster is gone, thanks to the sickening betrayal of the Syrian Kurds by a vile and compromised Trump.
Russia has powerful sway on all sides. Turkey has suggested it wants Russia to persuade the Syrian government to cede it control over a major chunk of territory in the northeast. The Kurds are hoping Russia can keep Turkey out and help preserve some of the autonomy they carved out for themselves during Syria’s civil war."
