International reactions to Turkey's launch of a military operation in northeastern Syria to establish a safe area continued, and European countries called for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the operation and its implications.

Trump's position
US President Donald Trump said in a statement that Washington did not support Turkey in its operation, stressing that he had made clear to the Turkish side that this process is "a bad idea." Trump denied there were US troops in the area.

Trump stressed that he does not want to fight endless and meaningless wars, especially those that do not benefit the United States.

He added that Turkey is now responsible for ensuring that all ISIS fighters detained remain in prison (in northeastern Syria) and that ISIS does not return in any way.

The US president reiterated Turkey's commitment to protect civilians and religious minorities, including Christians, and to ensure that a humanitarian crisis does not occur.

Members of Congress
Senior members of Congress, meanwhile, have voiced strong opposition to the process. "Turkey must pay a heavy price for an attack on our Kurdish partners," said Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, adding that "a bill to impose sanctions on Turkey is being finalized."

"There is strong bipartisan opposition in Congress to the Turkish attack, and you should consider it a red line," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is close to Trump.

"If media reports on the Turkish incursion into northern Syria are true, we are in a disaster," Graham said. The Republican senator urged President Trump to change course. "We still have time to return to the former concept of a safe area in Syria," he said.

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney said it was "impossible to understand why Trump left our Kurdish allies to be massacred."

Europe
Europe, French Defense Minister Florence Barley condemned the Turkish operation, saying it was a "serious attack that must stop".

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also expressed strong condemnation of the operation, saying it would "lead to further turmoil in the region and strengthen ISIS."

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the operation "threatens to destabilize the region and harm civilians."

For his part, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on Turkey and the rest of the parties to exercise restraint, saying that any military operation will increase the suffering of civilians.

"Turkey has security problems on its border with Syria and we must understand that," Juncker said. "But if Turkey plans to establish a safe area, it should not expect money from Europe for this purpose."

Security Council
In a related context, Al Jazeera correspondent said that five European countries in the UN Security Council called for a closed meeting of the Council on the situation in Syria on Thursday.

At its current session, the President of the Council called on all parties to exercise restraint and protect civilians in northern Syria and called on them to fulfill their obligations under Security Council resolution 2254. He reiterated that there was no military solution in Syria.

Russia
Vladimir Shamanov, chairman of the defense committee of the State Duma (one of the two chambers of the Russian parliament) called on major countries to negotiate the Kurdish file in northern Syria.

Iran
The adviser to the speaker of the Iranian parliament said that the Turkish operation further complicates the situation in the region, and that "it is better for Ankara to address its security concerns by respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria." "The military escalation in northern Syria will lead to additional crisis and new terrorism."