This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
US President Donald Trump's letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dated 9 October, has been described as being 'thrown in the bin' by Erdogan's team.
Trump's letter urged Erdogan not to launch a military offensive against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, but Erdogan ignored this request.
US Vice President Mike Pence is now in Ankara to push for a ceasefire.
The US has faced intense criticism for the withdrawal of troops, which critics say gave Turkey the green light to launch the military attack.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance has been a critical ally to the US in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.
There are fears that the destabilisation of northern Syria could lead to a jihadist resurgence.
Trump's letter to Erdogan read: 'Let's work out a good deal! You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy – and I will.'
Trump also wrote: 'History will look upon you favourably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don't happen.'
