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Trump faces another diplomatic rebuke from Turkey

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Trump faces another diplomatic rebuke from Turkey

Ankara denies White House readout content

US President Donald Trump administration faced another diplomatic rebuke in the Middle East when Turkish official sources denied the White House readout text released after  the phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Donald Trump late Wednesday, saying it does not reflect the “true nature of the phone call”.

According to two major Turkish dailies, Hurriyet Daily News (Ankara) and Daily Sabah (Istanbul), the official sources said, “Trump did not express concern over a so-called escalating violence as a result of Turkey’s anti-terror operation in Afrin. There was merely an exchange of views on Operation Oilve Branch between the presidents.”

However, White House readout available at its website says “President Trump relayed concerns that escalating violence in Afrin, Syria, risks undercutting our shared goals in Syria.”

Turkey has launched “Operation Olive Branch,” operation targeting the Afrin region to oust the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the separatist entity on its soil.

The Turkish source said that during the conversation, Trump discussed restricting the operation in Afrin to a certain time limit and avoiding any close combat in Manbij, due to the existence of U.S. soldiers in the region.

Instead, Turkish President Erdoğan reiterated that the PYD-YPG forces must withdraw to the East of the Euphrates River and pledged the protection of Manbij by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army against future threats by the Daesh (IS)  following the withdrawal.

The White House readout said “He (Trump) urged Turkey to deescalate, limit its military actions, and avoid civilian casualties and increases to displaced persons and refugees.  He urged Turkey to exercise caution and to avoid any actions that might risk conflict between Turkish and American forces.”

The source further said that US President Donald Trump never used the expression “destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey”, but expressed discomfort about criticisms directed to his country.

The White House readout said, “President Trump also expressed concern about destructive and false rhetoric coming from Turkey, and about United States citizens and local employees detained under the prolonged State of Emergency in Turkey.”

Denying another White House claim, the Turkish official source said, “The state of emergency in Turkey was also not mentioned during the call.” However, White House claimed that Trump expressed the U.S. “concern about “prolonged state of emergency in Turkey.”

Sources added that the U.S. side emphasized the importance of avoiding confrontation between Turkish and U.S. forces in the region.

The Turkish side also reiterated that YPG/PYD terrorists must withdraw from Manbij, and that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) can protect the area from potential Daesh (IS) terror if needed.

The Turkish official sources said that President RecepTayyip Erdoğan also told Trump that the U.S.’ support to YPG terrorists must end as soon as possible, and Trump told that U.S. is currently not supplying and will not supply any more weaponry to the YPG.

The White House statement concluded saying, “The two leaders pledged to improve the strategic partnership between the US and Turkey, particularly in “fostering regional stability and combating terrorism in all its forms,” including ISIS, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), al-Qa’ida, and Iranian-sponsored terrorism.

Turkish official have neither denied or confirmed about discussing about “Iranian sponsored terrorism,”  the term generally used about Lebanon based Hezbollah, the followers of Iranian revolutionaries who have played important role along with Iranian military advisors in defeating Daesh (IS) in Syria and Iraq.

However, observers have expressed fear of US-Turkey confrontation in Syria. Reuters reports that a US-backed Kurdish militia has deployed fighters to the frontline of Syria’s Manbij to fight against Turkey’s military as President Erdogan has indicated it would be the next target after Afrin operation.

US military personnel are deployed in Manbij, situated about 100 km east of Afrin. Forces from Turkey and NATO allies could come face to face on the battlefield, if war triggers between US and Turkish forces.

US led coalition spokesman Ryan Dilon reportedly has told Reuters on Wednesday, “Clearly we are very alert to what is happening, especially in the area of Manbij because that is where our… coalition forces are.” He further said that they “have an inherent right to defend themselves and will do so if necessary.”

Meanwhile, Sharfan Darvish of Manbij Military Council, a unit of , YPG Syrian-Kurd militia has said that his forces were preparing to confront Turkish soldiers.

He indirectly acknowledged US support to his group saying, “We are in full readiness to respond to any attack. Of course our coordination with the international coalition continues with regards to the protection of Manbij.”  The US-led coalition is generally known as international coalition in the regional media.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin.

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Kremlin denies US media reports on Donald Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin today denied a US media report that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president-elect Donald Trump had spoken on the phone last week about the Ukraine conflict.

Earlier on Sunday, The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Pution on call, urging him not to inflame the conflict. Speaking on the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that the report was completely false information, and denied any phone call took place.

It was reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. It said that Donald Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The report also mentioned that both the leaders expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.

Notably, Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he could end the fighting within hours and has indicated he would talk directly with Russian President Putin. However, the US President elect has not said how he intends to strike a peace deal or what terms he is proposing.

Donald Trump’s election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call. Volodymyr Zelensky described the call as excellent, adding that he and Trump had agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation.

Additionally, the outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar’s press conference

The MEA said that these actions yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech.

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India calls out Canada’s move to ban Australia Today for airing S Jaishankar's press conference

A few hours after Australia Today aired External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s press conference in Australia, Canada banned the outlet. The External Affairs Minister gave remarks on the India-Canada diplomatic standoff. 

Reacting to this, India on Thursday said it was surprised by Canada’s move to ban the outlet and emphasized that it highlighted Ottawa’s hypocrisy towards freedom of speech. Australia Today, which is an important outlet for the Indian community in the country, had aired the joint press conference of S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra.

In a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. He continued that this happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of S Jaishankar with Penny Wong. He called out the incident, mentioning that they are surprised, and the matter looks strange to them.

He further underlined that these are the actions which yet again highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech. He noted that the External Affairs Minister spoke about three things: Canada making allegations and a pattern had developed without any specific evidence, surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable, and  the political space which has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. 

With this one can draw conclusions, why Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada, the spokesperson said. Australia Today focuses on news and analytical pieces related to the Indian community in Australia and elsewhere across the world.

This incident follows days after devotees were attacked by pro-Khalistani at a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton, with S Jaishankar calling it deeply concerning. Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack and said that there were cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

The diplomatic standoff between India and Canada began in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents might have been involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim outrightly rejected by New Delhi.

Later in October 2024, ties between both the countries nosedived when Canada termed the Indian High Commissioner a person of interest in its investigation into Nijjar’s murder. Issuing a strongly worded statement, India dismissed the fresh charge and recalled the envoy and some diplomats, while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner.

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PM Modi congratulates Donald Trump on winning US President election

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on winning the 2024 US Presidential election and said he is looking forward to renewing their collaboration to further strengthen the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister urged Trump to work for the betterment of the people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” PM Modi posted on his X handle.

With the results being announced for the 2024 US election on November 6, Trump became the 47th President of the United States.

Former US President Trump appeared to be on track for a remarkable political comeback in the White House race. Projections suggested that he was poised to secure the necessary 270 electoral college votes, effectively blocking Democratic candidate Kamala Harris from winning the election.

The relationship between Trump and Modi has been characterised by robust diplomatic ties, strategic collaboration, and a noticeable personal rapport. Their friendship was prominently displayed during major events such as “Howdy, Modi” in Houston in 2019 and “Namaste Trump” in Ahmedabad in 2020, where they addressed large audiences and expressed their mutual respect.

On a strategic level, Trump and Modi found common ground in matters of defense and security, both adopting a strong stance against terrorism, which reinforced their alliance, particularly concerning threats from Pakistan.

As he approaches a notable victory in the US election, Republican Presidential candidate Trump expressed gratitude to his supporters today, calling it a magnificent victory for the American people. He also referenced the assassination attempt on July 13, stating, “God spared my life for a reason.”

The 78-year-old candidate is currently projected to secure 267 electoral college votes, just three shy of the decisive 270, while his opponent, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, holds 224 electoral votes.

Trump described the Republican campaign as the greatest political movement of all time, asserting, “We are going to help our country heal, secure our borders, and we made history for a reason tonight. This is an incredible political victory. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath I have.”

He noted that Democrats are now looking at a projected total of 315 electoral votes.

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