Despite their conflicting positions on the issue of Ukraine and other files, Washington and Moscow agreed in calling on Turkey to stop attacks in northern Syria and not to resort to a ground military operation.

The Turkish military operation continues in the north and north-east of Syria, targeting sites of armed Kurdish groups, which Ankara accuses of harming its national security and taking the lives of its citizens.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the Turkish army will launch a ground operation at the time it deems appropriate, with the aim of completing the safe passage on the southern border with Syria.

Although the Turkish threat to launch a ground operation is not new, the Istanbul bombing that took place on November 13, which killed 6 people and injured 81 others, makes this option more likely, according to observers.

Turkey accused the PKK and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces) of being behind the bombing, which they deny.

According to the comment of Masoud Hakki Jashin, a member of the Security and Foreign Policies Council of the Turkish Presidency, on the "Behind the News" program, Turkey is using its right to self-defense under international law, and it is carrying out a limited military operation targeting a "terrorist organization" that kills Turkish civilians, In reference to Kurdish groups represented in the "Syrian Democratic Forces" and "PKK".

It is clear that the Turkish military actions in northern Syria raise the concerns of international parties, led by the United States, which has its own accounts and its Kurdish allies inside Syria.

The US State Department said earlier that the Turkish military operations "destabilize the region" and endanger US soldiers, and called for an immediate halt to the escalation in northern Syria.

The same position was expressed by the Ministry of Defense (the Pentagon), saying that the escalation directly threatens the safety of American soldiers, and the progress made by the international coalition to defeat ISIS over the years.

The location and scope of the Turkish military operation

As for Andrew Tabler, a former senior advisor to the Special Envoy for Syria, Washington's position depends on the location and scope of the Turkish military operation, but he stressed that Ankara is an ally of the United States in NATO, and the "Syrian Democratic Forces" is its ally in the fight against the state organization.

For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow believes that Turkey's ground operation in northern Syria will increase tension and terrorist activity in the region, stressing that Moscow is in close contact with Ankara on Syria and understands Turkey's concerns about threats to its national security.

In his explanation of the Russian position, Alexei Khlebnikov, an expert at the Russian Council for International Affairs, told the “Beyond the News” program that Russia would not object to the Turkish military operation if it was limited and not large-scale, and it has been trying for months to persuade Ankara not to engage in a large-scale military operation. And to look for other ways to face its security risks in northeastern Syria.

He stressed that the two countries are communicating continuously at various levels, in order to reach agreements and methods to avoid escalation.