-They tell us that we should announce a ceasefire. We can never call for a ceasefire, Erdogan said according to the Hurriyet newspaper, adding that it applies until Turkey has cleared the border from the "terrorist organization", and refers to the Kurdish YPG militia.

Erdogan, who was interviewed on an airplane on his way home from Azerbaijan, also did not worry that the Syrian regime's forces have entered the city of Manbij.

-The regime's entry into Manbij is not such a negative development for us. Why? Because it is their own country, he said, adding that the important thing for Turkey is to get rid of the Kurdish militia.

Invitation from Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has over the phone discussed the conflict in Syria with Erdogan, where he also invited him to Russia for a working meeting.

Erdogan accepted the invitation and the leaders agreed on the need to prevent confrontations between the Turkish arm and the Syrian forces, Putin's office said in a statement. It also states that Putin raised fears about "terrorists trying to escape and infiltrate neighboring countries" during the offensive.

The initiative for the call came from Turkey, according to the Kremlin.

Pence to Ankara

US Vice President Mike Pence and Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo travel to Ankara on Wednesday to meet with Erdogan, among others, and then try to get the president to stop the offensive against the Kurds.

-They are trying to push us to cancel our efforts. We have a clearly defined goal We are not worried about the sanctions, Erdogan said.

Turkey wants to establish a so-called safe zone that extends three kilometers from the border into northern Syria, from Manbij to the Iraqi border. The plan is to move up to two million of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees present in Turkey.

According to Erdogan, 1,000 square kilometers of Syrian territory have so far been "liberated from the terrorist organization of the separatists".