By Vivian Salama and Rebecca Ballhaus 

WASHINGTON -- President Trump said he is lifting U.S. sanctions against Turkey after being assured that the country is permanently halting an offensive in northern Syria as part of a deal brokered with Russia.

"Over the last five days, you have seen that a ceasefire that we established along Syria's border has held and has held very well," Mr. Trump said.

While Mr. Trump portrayed the outcome as an opportunity to withdraw U.S. troops and improve stability in northeastern Syria, critics among both Democrats and Republicans have said it amounts to the abandonment of Kurdish fighters who have been longtime U.S. allies and cedes influence over the area to Russia, which is sending troops into the region.

Mr. Trump said the Turkish government informed his administration Wednesday that it is stopping combat and making the ceasefire permanent, adding, "And it will indeed be permanent."

"So the sanctions will be lifted unless something happens that we are not happy with," Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump also said he intends to keep a small number of U.S. troops in northern Syria to protect the oil fields. "When we commit American troops to battle we must do so only when a vital national interest is at stake," he said.

--Michael R. Gordon contributed to this article.

Write to Vivian Salama at vivian.salama@wsj.com and Rebecca Ballhaus at Rebecca.Ballhaus@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 23, 2019 12:45 ET (16:45 GMT)

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