Donald Trump warned his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan “don’t be a fool” and said history risked branding him a “devil” in an extraordinary letter sent the day Turkey launched its incursion into north-eastern Syria.
In the letter, first obtained by a Fox Business reporter, President Donald Trump warns that he could destroy Turkey’s economy if the situation in Syria is not contained and resolved in a humane way.
“You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy – and I will,” he wrote.
“History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way,” Trump continued. “It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.”
“Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!” he finished, adding: “I will call you later,” he concluded.
The BBC says Erdogan put US President Donald Trump’s letter “in the bin.”
Turkish troops launched the offensive in northern Syria last week.
The aim, Turkey said, was to push Kurds back from the border, and to create a “safe zone” where up to two million Syrian refugees could be resettled.
