Official sources told Al-Jazeera that Russia is making efforts to meet Turkey's demands in northern Syria, in order to avoid a ground operation that the Turkish army might launch against the Kurdish units in the region.
The sources indicated that Turkey stipulated the withdrawal of what is known as the Syrian Democratic Forces - which mainly consists of the Kurdish People's Protection Units - from Manbij, Ayn al-Arab Kobani and Tal Rifaat in northern Syria.
The sources added that Ankara also stipulated the return of the Syrian regime's institutions as an alternative to the "Syrian Democratic Forces", including the security forces and border guards.
The same sources stated that Turkey had given a time limit to meet its conditions, otherwise the alternative would be a military operation that would include the aforementioned areas.
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed - in a speech he delivered after a government meeting yesterday, Monday - that his country will not obtain permission from anyone to fight what he described as terrorist organizations, and that it does not ask anyone's permission when it takes steps related to Turkey's security.
Erdogan said that Turkey should not be disturbed by military operations aimed at "expanding the security belt on its southern borders," stressing that "these operations do not target anyone because of his race or religion."
He added that "it is no longer acceptable for some Western countries to provide support to terrorist organizations that target Turkish territory," and that his country does not have to "put up with the hypocrisy of the supporting forces by changing the names of the organizations to justify their support."
The position of the Kurdish units
On the other hand, Bayan al-Ali, the co-chair of what is known as the Defense Office in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said that the response will be harsh if the Turkish attacks continue.
Al-Ali called on the two guarantors of the ceasefire - the United States and Russia - to define a clear position on these attacks, and for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards the Autonomous Administration and the "Syrian Democratic Forces", as she put it.
The Turkish bombardment continued for the ninth day in a row, on the sites of what are known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, in northeastern Syria, as part of an operation that Ankara called "Claw Sword."
Turkey launched its military operation a week after it accused the Kurdistan Workers' Party - which has its headquarters in Iraq - and the Kurdish units in Syria, of being behind the Istiklal Street bombing in Istanbul, which killed 6 people and wounded 81 others.
And the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the neutralization of 14 militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Kurdish People's Protection Units.
This comes at a time when the mayor of the Turkish border town of Qarqemish announced the suspension of schools throughout the district for a period of two days, starting from Monday.