This was stated by acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan at the Washington talks with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on February 21, 2019. The Pentagon will not allow Turkey or its allies to create a "safety zone" in Northern Syria, Shanahan said.

The US Military Department has announced an "adjusted" plan for pulling out its military from this country: 200 troops are going to stay in the north of Syria for an indefinite period of time, and an additional 400 US marines will be sent to the Al-Tanf military base at the border with Iraq and Jordan.

In the Syrian-Turkish frontier zone, the Pentagon plans to deploy a contingent of up to one thousand Multinational Force (MNF) troops, mainly from the NATO countries. Until the final formation of this contingent, the security of the Syrian-Turkish border will come upon the Americans.

The Pentagon promises the Turks that armed groups of Kurdish People's Defense Units, whom Ankara regards as terrorists, will not be deployed in the border zone. America does not report, however, about taking away from the Kurds heavy weapons that have been given to them to eliminate the Islamic State (ISIL, an international terrorist group banned in Russia).

Thus, Donald Trump has dented hopes of his Turkish colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan to "seize" 185 thousand square kilometers of Syrian territories, where the main oil and water resources of Syria are located. It is noteworthy that the American President has apparently left no place in the future NATO Multinational Force for Turkey, even though it is one of the alliance's members.

"Diamond cut diamond"... The United States cannot forgive Turkey's having established friendly relations with Russia on Syria. Those comprise the Turkish Stream, engineering of a nuclear power plant, participation in the Astana negotiation process along with Iran, and other equally important areas of political and economic cooperation.

However, playing a special part in the controversy is Ankara's deal to purchase the Russian S-400 missile defense system, not even the export (foreign) versatility but the one that is in operational service with the Russian armed forces. Which means that those weapons can be compliant with the Russian air defense system, say, in Syria. That being so, the complex goes beyond the joint NATO air defense system and can be used against its own ally. With all the consequences that come with it.

The foreign media keeps quiet on the issue, although it was certainly raised in the course of negotiations between the heads of the American and Turkish military establishments. There is all the more reason for this as this issue lighted up both countries' press on the eve of the ministerial meeting. Apparently, the parties failed to find a compromise, as the Turks flatly refused to buy the American Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

Both sides found themselves reeling. Erdogan would not mind to restore relations with the Americans, but cannot forgive their participation in preparing the failed military coup in July 2015 and refusing to transfer Gülen accused by Turkey in leading the revolt. Besides, Turkey's financial and economic system is closely tied to the United States, which has already caused the Turkish lira to crash as a demonstration of preventive measures.

Trump, in his turn, does not want to bring relations with the Turks to the critical point that can cause insoluble contradictions posing a threat to NATO unity. The American President can be forgiven of anything but the loss of a strong and still loyal Middle Eastern military ally.

And Erdogan needs a "safety zone" in Syria; this is the ultimate dream of his political career, a kind of stepping stone towards rehabilitating a great Turkey. Naturally, under his direction. Or by his descendants.

The development of the Turkish-American relations remains to be seen. But the American idea of deploying a NATO Multinational Force along the Syrian-Turkish border without Ankara's consent is quite challenging. These forces are unlikely to exist peacefully without being subjected to pressure from the Turkish-loyal armed groups of Syrian Sunnis.

All the ideas proposed by the Turks and the Americans are flawed by default and cannot bring peace to this region, since they have nothing to do with legal obligations: Turkey and the United States have not been invited to Syria at all. Their plans infringe upon the interests of the country's indigenous population and are ultimately aimed at the territorial division of Syria and the loss of its sovereignty. There is no doubt that the Syrian government will never agree to these plans and, with the assistance of its allies, will use every means to achieve a political settlement in the best interests of all the social groups.