"The situation that is taking shape in Syria is something the Americans have long pressed for. The US has long wished to see Turkey’s intervention," Fabbri said. In his opinion Washington is dragging Ankara into combat operations in Syria by staging an "ostensible pullback" in an attempt to achieve two aims.

ROME, October 15. /TASS/. Turkey’s military intervention in Syria has always been the United States’ real aim, the leading analyst of the Italian geopolitical magazine Limes, Dario Fabbri, told TASS in an interview.

"On the one hand, Turkish intervention will obstruct Syrian President Bashar Assad’s attempts to regain control of the country’s whole territory. Assad is linked with Iran, so for the United States Assad’s success along these lines would spell Iran’s greater influence. On the other hand, it is clear that Turkey will get bogged down in Syria. This will distract Ankara from attaining other aims that often run counter to US interests," Fabbri said.

In his opinion Turkish interference has no direct effect on Russia’s interests.

"There would have been problems if Turkey set eyes on the whole country, but Ankara is focused only on the territory of Syrian Kurds. This explains why Moscow stays relatively calm and tends to criticize US approaches and decisions to a greater extent than Ankara’s.

Fabbri is certain US President Donald Trump’s statements addressed to Turkey are totally false. In his opinion NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has turned out the most honest one in the Western world, for he tried to offer some excuses for Ankara’s actions.

On October 9, Turkey declared the beginning of a military operation in Syria codenamed Peace Spring with the aim to create a buffer zone in northern Syria that would serve as a security belt along the Turkish border. The buffer zone would accommodate Syrian refugees from Turkey. Syria’s official news agency SANA slammed the operation as an act of aggression. The United States criticized Turkey. All European countries, including Italy, urged Ankara to promptly terminate unilateral military operations, which are fraught with destabilization of the region and undermine the results of struggle against the terrorist group Islamic State (outlawed in Russia). Some European countries, including Italy, have made a decision to stop weapons export to Turkey.