EXCLUSIVE: US military completes pullback from northeast Syria, Esper says

NO MOVEMENT ON TURKEY S-400S

Trump softened his pullout plans for Syria after backlash from Congress, including among key Republicans, who say he cleared the way for a long-threatened Turkish operation against YPG terrorists who had been America's top allies in the battle against Daesh.

NATO diplomats worry that Turkey, a NATO member since 1952 and a critical ally in the Middle East, has increasingly acted unilaterally, launching its operation in Syria against U.S.-backed forces and buying advanced Russian S-400 air defenses.

Washington says the S-400 system is incompatible with NATO air defenses, poses a threat to Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighter jets and announced in July it was removing Turkey from the F-35 program. It has also warned of possible U.S. sanctions.

After summit talks between Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Esper suggested Ankara had not budged yet on the S-400 issue.

"There's no movement at this point," Esper said.

Still, after lobbying by NATO allies, including the United States, Erdogan backed off from a threat to block defense plans for the Baltic states and Poland unless allies declared Kurdish fighters in Syria terrorists.

"I think it was a positive move forward," Esper said, of the change in position by Turkey.

"They've been a valuable part of NATO for decades, from the earliest days. So we got to keep them in the fold."