A US delegation met Nato representatives in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss assistance for Turkey’s mission in Idlib, Syria, promising “everything” was on the table.
The US special representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, and ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield met officials to discuss how to help with their security concerns and implications for Nato over the unfolding crisis in Idlib.
The regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, with the help of Russia, launched an offensive into the rebel-held enclave in December, triggering a humanitarian crisis and military standoff with Turkey.
Last week, Moscow and Ankara agreed to a ceasefire that establishes a security corridor and joint patrols, but the agreement has already been breached, aid groups say.
Mr Jeffrey and Mr Satterfield stressed that the goal was to boost and maintain the ceasefire.
Calling Idlib a “focal point of the Syrian conflict since 2011”, the US envoy warned that the refugee crisis was destabilising Turkey and could threaten Europe if the ceasefire does not hold.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said he wanted real assistance from Nato allies.
"We expect concrete support from all our allies to this struggle," he said alongside Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg during a visit to Brussels.
Mr Erdogan said that Turkey was making a major sacrifice in Syria.
"Nato is in a critical process in which it needs to clearly show its alliance solidarity," he said.
Mr Erdogan also called on Nato to fulfil commitments it made to strengthen Turkey's defences.
The US said Washington was looking into military and economic options to assist Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had confirmed that Turkey had asked about Patriot missile defence systems from Nato.
“Everything is on the table,” Mr Jeffrey responded.
The issue has been complicated by Turkey's controversial decision to buy a Russian S400 missile defence system, which led to the US removing Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme.
“We are looking at ways we can assist Turkey, that’s why we are here," Mr Jeffrey said. "That’s why Turkey under Article 4 of the Nato charter called on countries to support it."
He said military options would require an assessment of military threats by the Assad government, Russia and Iran, Turkey’s capabilities and Nato states’ commitments to support Ankara as a whole and individually.
“We have considerable weapons agreements with Turkey and are looking at how we can be helpful there,” Mr Jeffrey said.
"I think you can forget ground troops. Turkey has demonstrated that it and opposition forces are capable of holding ground on their own.
"The issue is the situation in the air and that’s what we’re looking at.”
He said that sanctions were also possible.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said implementing the ceasefire would require a warning of action from Turkey and its Nato allies.
"When threatened with force in the Syrian war, Moscow and Assad retreat," Ms Tsurkov told The National.
The ceasefire agreement in Moscow was reached because the regime and Russia “saw what Turkish drones and artillery can do", she said.
Over the past 10 days, Ankara launched a drone war against regime targets in Idlib in response to an attack that killed 34 of its soldiers in the province.
But with displacement nearing one million civilians from Idlib, Ms Tsurkov warned of a growing humanitarian catastrophe despite the ceasefire.
“Talking to people in Idlib on a daily basis, they now realise they won’t be able to return to their homes," she said.
"The demographic centres in Maaret Numan, Saraqib and Kafranbel are in displacement, and we see emerging problems of malnutrition, particularly among children."
Nicholas Danforth, a senior visiting fellow at the German Marshall Fund, saw an increasingly complicated picture for Turkey in Idlib.
"Every time Russia and the regime have violated a ceasefire they have ended up with a better one," Mr Danforth told The National.
"Ankara hoped its escalation could change this dynamic but the deal it just struck in Moscow shows how difficult that will be."
He said he considered it “unlikely that the White House would be willing to provide enough military support to change this dynamic".
“At best, a display of solidarity from the US and Nato can help Turkey to mitigate the inevitably brutal end game in Idlib and secure a little more space for the millions of people that will inevitably be trapped there.”
But the US administration is divided on Syria, Mr Danforth said.
While Mr Jeffrey “has always been enthusiastic about supporting Turkey, many others in Washington remain much more sceptical", he said.
Politico reported last week that US defence officials were opposed to selling Turkey Patriot missiles, but Mr Jeffrey favoured it.
But he indicated today that story was false.
