US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack has said that Türkiye has played a "unique" role in recent talks held in Istanbul aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
"Türkiye has a traditional cooperation with both Russia and Ukraine, which enables them to establish significant dialogue," he told Turkish broadcaster NTV on Monday.
Barrack said Türkiye is widely recognised as a key NATO ally but has also demonstrated broader regional influence, particularly in Syria and in mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He also highlighted the strong relationship between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump, expressing his intention to help further strengthen that partnership.
Barrack added that Trump’s patience with the Russia-Ukraine war is wearing thin.
'Artificial borders and failed policies'
Turning to Syria, Barrack said that current US policies in the region will differ significantly from past approaches, which he said have largely failed.
He argued that many of the Middle East’s ongoing crises stem from Western efforts to shape the region to suit their interests since the First World War.
"I’m not saying this was right or wrong. But take the Balfour Declaration, for example — it was an attempt to create a new and free homeland for the Jewish population. Then came Sykes-Picot, where a British and a French official drew artificial borders in a region full of tribes and religious sects," he said.
Barrack said that while the Ottoman Empire had a functioning system, those borders ignored local realities. "It was impossible to draw artificial borders around them, yet that is exactly what the Sykes-Picot Agreement did," he said.
