Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump and senior defense officials met to discuss the planned Syria troop withdrawal Wednesday, as his national security team continued to send conflicting signals about the planned pullback that has roiled relations with NATO-ally Turkey.

Even as administration officials continue to insist the US will leave Syria, they are indicating -- in part by adding conditions for withdrawal without timelines -- that the American presence will continue far longer than the President's initial pledge of departure "now" or even by the 120-day deadline the White House offered later.

The planned withdrawal has unsettled allies, undermined the Kurds and deeply roiled relations with Turkey, an issue Trump was expected to discuss during his Wednesday meeting with acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly blasted national security adviser John Bolton Tuesday for saying the US withdrawal was contingent upon Turkey's pledge not to attack US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria once American troops go home.

Bolton outlined a series of US objectives in a meeting with the Turks this week, according to a senior administration official briefed on objectives outlined at the meeting. The official said there's a long process ahead, not only for logistical reasons, but because the diplomacy will take time.

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