Washington—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

“We’re now seeing the fallout from President Trump’s outrageous betrayal of our Kurdish partners in Syria.? Predictably, Russia has stepped into the vacuum left by President Trump’s retreat.? Like so many of President Trump’s foreign-policy decisions, all roads seem to lead to President Putin.?Putin now exercises control over nearly all of Syria and has displaced the United States as the key power broker in the region. This disastrous policy has handed President Putin what he wants most: to restore Russia’s great power status and undermine the United States. Trump’s decision has resulted in a terrible loss for America, and a win for America’s enemies.”

Background:

Presidents Putin and Erdogan today signed an agreement whereby Russia will deploy its troops all the way to the Syria-Turkey border and conduct joint patrols with Turkish forces to enforce the expulsion of our SDF partners.?This announcement comes amid reports that Russian forces have taken over a number of bases formerly operated by U.S. forces. Additionally, the United Nations is reporting that more than 176,000 people have been displaced as a result of Turkey’s incursion, which amounts to a concerted effort to displace Kurds and other minorities from their native lands.

# # #