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U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he will hold what he described as a "very important" call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as diplomatic efforts accelerate around Syria's political transition and Trump's newly proposed Board of Peace.
The call follows Trump's invitation to Erdogan to join the international panel for Gaza, alongside the leaders of France, Egypt and Russia. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump did not specify what he plans to discuss with him.
The announcement came as senior diplomats from both countries held parallel conversations about Syria. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed recent developments in Syria and Washington's Peace Council initiative in a phone call Tuesday, coinciding with the start of a four-day ceasefire between Syrian forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The diplomatic activity followed remarks by U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, who said Tuesday that the role of the SDF terror group as the "primary anti-Daesh force on the ground" has "largely expired" as Syria prepares to assume security responsibilities.
The Syrian Defense Ministry's announced four-day ceasefire shortly came into effect after Barrack's comments. Under the agreement, Syrian military forces will not enter the centers of Hasakah and Qamishli cities or Kurdish villages, with only local security forces from the region permitted to operate in those areas. The Syrian presidency has given the group four days to present a detailed administrative and military mechanism for integrating Hasakah governorate into the central government structure.
National Defense Minister Yasar Guler separately spoke with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to exchange views on bilateral relations and regional defense and security issues, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Trump said Tuesday that his newly formed Board of Peace "might" replace the United Nations, which he criticized as ineffective in ending wars.
"The UN just hasn't been very helpful. I'm a big fan of the UN's potential, but it has never lived up to its potential," Trump told reporters during a White House press briefing. He added that the UN should have settled wars that he resolved without seeking the organization's involvement.
The Board of Peace was formed as part of Trump's deal to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. He sent invitations to world leaders this week to serve on the panel, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reception has been mixed, with French President Emmanuel Macron declining to accept, citing questions about the board's scope.
Earlier Tuesday, the UN's top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, said Trump's Board of Peace will not replace his organization. "I'm clear and my colleagues are clear that the United Nations isn't going anywhere," he told in the press conference.
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Trump told reporters that he has not spoken to Macron or British Prime Minister Keir Starmer since posting about both leaders overnight on his Truth Social platform.
"No, I haven't, but I think I get along very well with them," Trump said, adding that the leaders "get a little bit rough when they're, you know, when I'm not around, but when I'm around they treat me very nicely."
Trump accused the United Kingdom of "stupidity" over its plan to hand over ownership of the Chagos Islands, including the U.S. air base on Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. He also posted a text message from Macron on his Truth Social page in which the French president wrote, "My friend, we are totally in line on Syria, we can do great things on Iran. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland."
Trump is scheduled to travel to Davos later Tuesday, where he said he will meet with "various parties" over Greenland.
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