The US will not impose additional sanctions on Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria, US Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday during a press conference in Ankara.
Pence said the US would drop sanctions imposed this week on Turkish government officials if the ceasefire holds for five days.
"The president had made it clear that if there had not been a ceasefire today, there would have been a new round of massive sanctions against Turkey," he said.
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving the Treasury and State departments broad authority to impose sanctions against Turkey's government, including its energy ministry.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday that the Trump administration was putting Turkey on notice amid concerns about attacks against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria and potential targeting of civilians, civilian infrastructure or ethnic minorities.
