President Trump stated that “we’ve secured the oil [in Syria], and, therefore, a small number of U.S. troops will remain in the area where they have the oil.  And we’re going to be protecting it, and we’ll be deciding what we’re going to do with it in the future”. He further maintained that “the nations in the region must ultimately take on the responsibility of helping Turkey and Syria police their border”. Referring to the ceasefire between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds, President Trump asserted that “should Turkey fail to honor its obligations, including the protection of religious and ethnic minorities, which I truly believe they will do, we reserve the right to re-impose crippling sanctions, including substantially increased tariffs on steel and all other products coming out of Turkey”.