Turkey sees the upcoming second Donald Trump presidency as presenting an opportunity to secure an agreement that would lead to the US withdrawing its protective support for Kurdish militants across the border in northern Syria. Comments from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fikan indicate Ankara is pushing for such an outcome.

It was Trump who in October 2019 told US armed forces to stand aside as Turkish forces mounted a cross-border incursion targeting the People’s Defense Units (YPG). The order from Trump—due to return to the Oval Office on January 20—was controversial, given that the Kurdish militant group had served as faithful and indispensable allies to the American military in the successful battle to bring down the Islamic State self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Trump subsequently came under fire for imposing near meaningless sanctions, or “sanctions-lite” on Ankara in response to Turkey’s move into Syria.

Throughout the Biden presidency, Turkey has remained frustrated with US armed forces that have once more stood in the way of decisive military action against the YPG.

With Trump’s impending return to the White House confirmed, and his pledges to pull US troops out of foreign conflict zones well known, Erdogan on November 10 started holding out the prospect of Turkey mounting a new offensive into northern Syria to form new “safe zones” along the Turkish-Syrian border. Two days earlier, he had said he would discuss a possible US troop withdrawal from Syria with President-elect Trump.

While the YPG militia has served as Washington's main ally against Islamic State in Syria—it was the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the battle against the jihadists—Ankara describes it as a terrorist organisation and extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which the US has also designated as a terror group.

"We are constantly reminding our American counterparts that they need to stop the cooperation they have with the terrorist organisation in Syria," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was on November 11 cited as saying by daily Milliyet.

"Our contacts on this issue have increased. We see that the US side is keen on more talks and negotiations too," he added.

Separately, Turkey looks set to step up its renewed moves to remove legitimately elected pro-Kurdish mayors in southeastern parts of Turkey—on the basis of claimed links with the PKK, which the targeted mayors invariably deny—and replace them with government trustees.

Turkey is preparing to investigate 37 municipalities controlled by the country’s pro-Kurdish party Dem over alleged ties to terrorism, Middle East Eye on November 12 reported three sources familiar with the matter as saying.