a summit on the future of syria including turkey and iran the three countries have been pushing their own strategy for ending eight years of civil war in syria putin met with turkey s president rectify imperator one in moscow earlier today he welcomed the announced american withdrawal from syria as a positive step he also called on kurdish forces who control large areas of north eastern syria to start talks with the syrian government or one said the withdrawal of u.s. troops from the kurdish controlled areas must not result in the vacuum of power turkey regards the powerful kurdish why p.g. militia as a terrorist organization. well i m joined now by john thing can from the german marshall fund of the united states jonathan has expertise among other things in russia and u.s. relations with turkey it s good to have you on the program johnson would this meeting between ever won and putin would it be taking place at all if trump had not announced the withdrawal of u.s.