Turkey can launch an operation against Kurdish formations in northern Syria at any time after the visit of U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Tuesday, TASS reported quoting the Yeni Shafak newspaper.

Erdogan turning down a meeting with U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton followed Bolton’s claim that Turkey “targets Kurds” in Syria, claims that were firmly rejected by Ankara. If meeting with Bolton were “necessary,” then "we could have said yes,” Erdogan told reporters in the capital Ankara, citing his “heavy schedule” in turning down the meeting. Bolton should instead meet with presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, said Erdogan, Anadolu noted.

Erdogan added that he can talk to U.S. President Donald Trump at any moment.