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President Donald Trumps plan to withdraw the U.S. from Syria fell into further disarray Tuesday after Turkeys leader rebuffed Trumps emissary, John Bolton, and angrily dismissed his demand that Turkey agree to protect Americas Kurdish allies.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Bolton had made a grave mistake in setting that condition for the pullout of troops. It is not possible for us to swallow the message Bolton gave from Israel, Erdogan said in Parliament, after refusing to meet with Bolton, the presidents national security adviser, during his visit to Turkey.

The failure of Boltons mission, which was intended to reassure allies that Trump would pull out of Syria in an orderly fashion, raised new questions about whether the United States would be able to come to terms with Turkey, a NATO partner, about how to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops who fought alongside the Kurds against the Islamic State.

It was the latest example of what has become a recurring motif in Trumps idiosyncratic, leader-to-leader foreign policy: a senior U.S. official humiliated by a foreign head of state who evidently calculated that he could extract a better deal by talking directly to Trump.

Erdogan was contemptuous of Boltons effort to flesh out a U.S. withdrawal that Trump broached in a phone call with Erdogan just before announcing it on Dec. 19.

The Turkish leader hailed Trump for making the right call in an opinion piece in The New York Times. He argued that Turkey, with the second-largest standing army in NATO, was the only country with the power and commitment to replace U.S. forces in northeastern Syria, fight terrorism and ensure stability for the Syrian people.

But Pentagon officials have voiced deep skepticism that Turkish forces have either the capacity or the will to carry out extensive counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State. They also warn that any Turkish incursions into northeastern Syria would lead to clashes with the Syrian Kurdish-Arab coalition allied with the United States.

In Jerusalem, before he traveled to the Turkish capital, Ankara, Bolton pledged that U.S. forces would remain in Syria until the Islamic State was fully defeated, setting the stage for a more gradual withdrawal than the one Trump heralded. He also demanded guarantees that Turkey would not attack Kurdish forces allied with the Americans.

We dont think the Turks ought to undertake military action thats not fully coordinated with and agreed to by the United States, at a minimum so they dont endanger our troops, Bolton told reporters.

Once in Ankara, he also protested to Turkish officials about Erdogans Times piece. In it, the Turkish president wrote that the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State had carried out airstrikes in Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq, that showed little or no regard for civilian casualties something he said Turkish troops had avoided in their counterterrorism operations.

Aides to Bolton insisted he did not feel snubbed by Erdogan. The U.S. Embassy in Turkey requested a series of meetings, but due to scheduling conflicts one with President Erdogan was never confirmed, a spokesman for Bolton, Garrett Marquis, said in a statement.

Erdogan said there was no need for a meeting, since he was busy and Bolton had met with his Turkish counterpart, Ibrahim Kalin, anyway. But he said he was now likely to call Trump.

Turkeys main motive for supporting a withdrawal of U.S. forces is that it would end support for the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey regards as a terrorist group, said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, the Ankara director for the German Marshall Fund of the United States. It would also eliminate the prospect of a Kurdish-run autonomous territory in northern Syria, which Turkey regards as a threat to its own stability.

The YPG is widely seen as the Syrian franchise of the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, which has been fighting an insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s and is designated as a terrorist organization by that country, the United States and the European Union.

Turkey supports rebels fighting the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad but opposes groups it considers to be terrorists, including the YPG and the Islamic State.

The Trump administration would like Turkey to agree not to move against the YPG in the event of a U.S. withdrawal. But Unluhisarcikli called that a hopeless cause, adding, It is not a question of whether. Turkey will not tolerate the PKK on its borders. So it is only a matter of time.

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Jan. 8, 2019, 11:03 AM GMT/ UpdatedJan. 8, 2019, 12:05 PM GMT

By Carol E. Lee

ANKARA, Turkey President Donald Trumps plans for withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria were thrown into more uncertainty Tuesday as national security adviser John Bolton left the region after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to meet with him. Boltons mission to smooth a troop withdrawal with U.S. allies instead ended in only widening the rift with Turkey.

The path forward now appears more muddled than ever given Trumps demand for assurances that Turkey protect Syrian Kurds after U.S. troops depart and Erdogans public snub of Bolton.

A senior administration official told NBC News that Trump thought he had gotten a commitment from Erdogan in a Dec. 23 phone call that Turkey would protect the Syrian Kurds, who have been a key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State, after the American troops leave.

But a defiant Erdogan on Tuesday declined to meet with Bolton, who was in Turkey for talks about the withdrawal. In a speech to his political party, Erdogan said that Bolton had made a "serious mistake" in saying no U.S. troops would leave northeast Syria without such a commitment.

Erdogan said that Turkey would never compromise on the issue of the Syrian Kurds, or YPG Kurdish militia, which Turkey sees as a terrorist organization and part of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

Bolton met for more than two hours earlier in the day with his Turkish counterpart, Ibrahim Kalin, the senior administration official, who was at the meeting, said. During that meeting, Bolton presented Kalin with a list of five conditions the U.S. has for withdrawing troops from Syria items agreed to by Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford and James Jeffrey, the U.S. envoy for Syria and the fight against ISIS, according to the senior administration official.

The list includes "a negotiated solution to Turkish security concerns, the official said, and stipulates: "We want the protection of all civilians, particularly local minority populations. Well cooperate with Turkey on de-conflicting the airspace over northeast Syria. The United States opposes any mistreatment of opposition forces who fought with us against ISIS.

Turkey rejected the proposal.

"I think its fair to say that the United States stuck by the presidents request as reflected in these points that the Kurds, that the opposition forces that fought with us, not be mistreated," the U.S. official said. "And the Turks stuck by their position that the PYD and the YPG are terrorist groups and theyre free to go after them." (The PYD, or Democratic Union Party, is the political wing of the YPG.)

Kalin told Bolton that Erdogan had committed Turkey to not taking offensive action in Syria while U.S. forces were there, the official said.

The official said Erdogans speech on Tuesday was not at odds with the commitment Trump thought he had gotten from Erdogan during their Dec. 23 phone call.

National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said Erdogan called Kalin during their meeting and told him to send his regards to Bolton. However, Erdogan said he wouldnt be able to spend any time with Bolton because he was headed to Parliament to deliver a speech.

A meeting between Bolton and Erdogan was never confirmed, a U.S. official said, but administration officials had said one was expected.

Speaking before Erdogan's remarks to Parliament, Marquis said Bolton and Kalin had "a productive discussion" and had "identified further issues for dialogue."

Boltons comments about Turkey over the weekend during an interview with reporters traveling with him in Israel had drawn criticism from Turkish officials.

Trump announced Dec. 19 that all U.S. troops would immediately withdraw from Syria. The announcement, which shocked U.S. allies and members of Trumps own administration, stemmed from a phone call with Erdogan in which the Turkish leader convinced the president to withdraw and said Turkey would take over the fight against ISIS.

U.S. officials have since tempered the timeline for withdrawal, saying there isnt one, and Trump has said a drawdown would happen slowly. But Boltons comments Sunday to reporters in Israel marked the first time the U.S. put specific conditions on withdrawal and demanded an agreement from Turkey on the Kurds.

Erdogan said in his speech Tuesday that Turkey has completed preparations for a military operation in Syria. Turkey boasts NATO's second-largest military.

Dunford, Jeffrey and Turkeys deputy foreign and defense ministers also attended Tuesdays meeting with Bolton and Kaln.

Dunford remained in Turkey after Bolton leaves to continue discussions with Turkish officials about a way forward in Syria. Jeffrey plans to meet with the Syrian Kurds this week.

On Monday, Erdogan published an opinion article in The New York Times saying the Turkish government has no argument with the Syrian Kurds.

He called for a stabilization force in Syria that would be created by Turkey. To do so, Turkey would vet the Syrian Kurds who fought with the U.S. against ISIS and include those with no links to terrorist organizations in the new stabilization force, Erdogan wrote.

Only a diverse body can serve all Syrian citizens and bring law and order to various parts of the country, he wrote.

Bolton told Kalin the op-ed was wrong and offensive, the senior administration official said.

Its unclear if Erdogan was directly addressing remarks made by Bolton over the weekend when he wrote: Turkey intends to cooperate and coordinate our actions with our friends and allies.

While Bolton told reporters Sunday that a U.S. withdrawal will be contingent on whether the White House can reach an agreement with Turkey on protecting the Kurds, he also said the time American troops will remain in Syria is not unlimited adding the primary point is we are going to withdraw from northeastern Syria.

The national security advisers repeated caveat that the withdrawal is from northeastern Syria, not Syria overall, underscores a policy shift since Trumps Dec. 19 announcement that all American forces would leave Syria.

Its a reflection of U.S. plans to keep some troops at Al Tanf in southern Syria as a deterrent to Iran even after those in the northern part of the country exit.

Carol E. Lee is a national political reporter for NBC News.

Reuters contributed.

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Turkey's Erdogan criticizes Bolton as rift between NATO ...

On Monday, John Bolton declared that the Trump administrations plan to pull U.S. forces out of Syria is conditioned on protecting the Kurdish warriors who bore the brunt of our fight to defeat ISIS. This condition seemed to preclude a complete withdrawal in the foreseeable future. As I explained:

I dont see how a complete U.S. withdrawal can be accomplished without putting the Kurds in serious jeopardy at the hands of Turkey. Turkey regards the Kurdish fighters were allied with as separatists and terrorists. Thus, the Turks cannot reasonably be expected to forebear from attacking the Kurdish forces if the U.S. is out of the picture.

Hoping somehow to work around this difficulty, Bolton traveled to Turkey this week for talks. But Turkeys president Erdogan refused to meet with him.

Instead, Erdogan went on television and chastised Americas national security adviser. He said that Bolton made a serious mistake in conditioning U.S. withdrawal from Syria on protecting the Kurds. He then added this threat:

Very soon, we will take action to neutralize terrorist organizations in Syria.

Erdogan regards our Kurdish allies in Syria as terrorists.

Was Bolton speaking for the administration when he said protection of our Kurdish allies is a precondition for withdrawal Syria? I hope so.

It would be dishonorable to abandon those who fought alongside (and often ahead) of our troops in the war against ISIS, leaving them vulnerable to a fearsome attack by the Turks. Such disgraceful conduct might well have serious adverse consequences the next time we try to enlist a regional force to fight terrorists.

If Bolton spoke out of turn on such an important matter, I dont see how Trump can retain his services. If he spoke for the administration, Trump needs to make it clear to Erdogan that we will defend the Kurds against any attack by Turkey and will not withdraw from Syria as long as the threat of attack looms. Erdogan is most unlikely to attack the Kurds as long as were present, and the cost of maintaining 2,000 troops in Syria isnt high.

Turkey has no right to wage a war of aggression against a U.S. ally in Syria. And America cannot afford to be seen knuckling under to threats by a second rate power one that purports, itself, to be a U.S. ally.

Erdogan is preparing for important local elections in two months. Tough talk about the Kurds can only help him. Humiliating the American national security adviser helps him too.

But beyond these short-term considerations, Erdogan has designs in Syria. They include not just crushing the Kurds, but also becoming a major player in the fight to fill that countrys power vacuum.

The U.S. can reasonably regard Turkey as among the least malignant potential players in Syria. Thats a low bar, of course, considering that the other players include Iran, Russia, Assad, and ISIS (or its successors and rival jihadists).

Couple that with Trumps desire to sell arms to Turkey and one can understand the presidents desire to accommodate Erdogan. The Turkish strong man obviously understands it, or he wouldnt have treated Bolton as he did.

On the other side of the ledger is Americas honor, its level of trustworthiness and respect in the world, its ability to enlist allies in future fights against terrorism, and its ability to make sure ISIS is well and truly crushed in Syria.

Well see how Trump weighs these competing values and considerations.

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Erdogan snubs Bolton, then denounces him on TV | Power Line

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a meeting with U.S. national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday, in an apparent snub. Erdogan disagrees with U.S. calls to protect Kurdish militants in Syria who have helped in the fight against ISIS. Burhan Ozbilici/AP hide caption

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a meeting with U.S. national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday, in an apparent snub. Erdogan disagrees with U.S. calls to protect Kurdish militants in Syria who have helped in the fight against ISIS.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has apparently snubbed U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, canceling a planned meeting to discuss the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria as well as the fate of a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia fighting ISIS in Syria.

Bolton's meeting with Erdogan was canceled moments before it was to begin, reflecting Turkish anger at Bolton's insistence that those Kurdish forces be protected after more than 2,000 American troops exit northeastern Syria.

Erdogan cited the "local election season and a speech to parliament for not meeting with Bolton," The Associated Press reports. But the Turkish leader also used his speech to rail against protection for the YPG, which he considers a terrorist organization allied with separatist Kurdish groups operating within Turkey.

Bolton's trip to Turkey comes as he and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are visiting American allies in the region, seeking to quiet concerns and ease confusion about U.S. policies following President Trump's surprise announcement last month that all U.S. troops will be leaving Syria.

Trump's withdrawal order sparked questions and pushback including the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. And key questions remain about ISIS, the fate of Kurdish fighters and control over the land they've seized in Syria's long-running civil war.

Unlike the U.S., Turkey "sees these Kurdish authorities as being aligned with militants it considers terrorists, and has threatened to attack the parts of Syria they control," NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports.

The distrust runs both ways. In Syria, Kurdish leaders aren't happy at the possibility their territory might fall into Turkey's grasp leading them to hold previously unthinkable negotiations with Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.

"Kurdish militias here have sacrificed hundreds of lives in fighting ISIS and taking control of this territory," Sherlock reports, "and they see Turkey as a bigger threat than ISIS to their survival."

Bolton did meet with Turkish presidential adviser Ibrahim Kalin on Tuesday, but that session didn't seem to produce any breakthroughs. Afterward, Kalin said that while Turkey is willing to coordinate some activities, its military doesn't need to ask anyone's permission to conduct operations over the Syrian border.

Around the time of the Bolton-Kalin meeting, Erdogan was speaking to Parliament and renewing his public stance against the YPG.

"Erdogan said preparations for a military operation in northern Syria are 'complete,' " NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul. "He added there would be 'no concessions' in Turkey's fight against terror groups, and rejected Bolton's comment that Syrian Kurdish fighters would not be harmed."

By emphasizing the differences between his views and Bolton's, Erdogan echoed his New York Times op-ed piece from Monday, in which he said that with the U.S. leaving, it's time for Turkey's military to take control.

But that same day, Pompeo said the Turkish leader had previously offered reassurances that Turkey would protect U.S. allies referring to the Kurds. Pompeo said Erdogan made the commitment during a phone call with Trump just before the U.S. president announced the troop withdrawal.

On Dec. 19, when Trump ordered the Pentagon to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, he said he was doing so because their mission was over.

"Our boys, our young women, our men, they're all coming back, and they're coming back now," Trump said, as he declared victory over ISIS.

But Trump has recently acknowledged that ISIS has not been eradicated entirely, and his mentions of the timing for withdrawal have become much less concrete.

"We won't be finally pulled out until ISIS is gone," Trump said Sunday.

Over the weekend, Bolton said the drawdown is subject to conditions and that there is no set deadline.

"There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem. "The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement," he said, seemingly in reference to the fight against ISIS and the future of the Kurdish militia.

The mixed messages have created confusion over exactly what the U.S. policy is in Syria and the broader region and that perception has persisted, despite State Department officials' insistence last week that "the United States is not leaving the Middle East."

Hoping to clarify American policy for some of its most vital allies, Pompeo has begun a weeklong trip through the region. He started it off in Amman, Jordan, where he said Tuesday that the Syrian pullout doesn't mean the U.S. is abandoning the international fight against ISIS.

"That battle continues," Pompeo said. "The president's decision to withdraw our folks from Syria in no way impacts our capacity to deliver on that."

There is also some fence-mending to do. Bolton's visit to Ankara comes one week after Pompeo angered the Turkish government by saying the U.S. wants to be sure "the Turks don't slaughter the Kurds."

Pompeo doesn't plan to visit Turkey on his current trip. After Amman, Pompeo is slated to visit at least eight Middle East capitals, from Cairo to Riyadh and Kuwait City.

In the background of the talk about ISIS and Kurdish fighters, another spat is bubbling between the U.S. and Turkey, centering on the NATO ally's recent arms deal with Russia.

As NPR's Kenyon reports, "Washington is displeased with Ankara's move to buy Russian S-400 missiles, and has recently offered to sell them Patriot missiles instead."

NPR Diplomatic Correspondent Michele Kelemen contributed to this story.

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