WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Thursday released the following statement after the U.S. and Turkey announced a five day ceasefire:  

“There isn't any response but to be grateful for a temporary pause of the massacre taking place by Turkish forces in northern Syria. But let’s be clear: this essentially gives Erdogan everything he wants - it ratifies a Turkish takeover of a huge swath of the country and calls on the Kurds to abandon their territory or else the slaughter will continue. This isn't a diplomatic victory - it's the capstone on Trump's abandonment of the Kurds,” said Murphy.

Murphy continued: “As Congress continues to mull sanctions legislation, we must be targeted and thoughtful. The point of such legislation should be to disincentivize bad behaviors by Turkey: war crimes, obstruction of humanitarian relief, forcible repatriation of Syrian refugees, and knowingly allowing ISIS to regroup. But ultimately, this is President Trump’s mess, and it’s up to him to prevent this situation from spiraling further out of control.”

This week, Murphy released a statement on possible Turkey sanctions legislation.

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