In an interview with CNN Türk, Barrack addressed questions on topics ranging from PKK disarmament to broader U.S.-Türkiye relations.

“SDF is YPG. YPG is a derivative of PKK,” Barrack said in response to a question during a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center in New York.

“YPG was a spin-off of PKK that we allied with to fight ISIS,” he said, using the alternative name for the ISIL.

“So there’s a big sentiment that, because they were our partners, we owe them. The question is, what do we owe them? We don’t owe them the ability to have their own independent government within a government,” he said.

He said the Syrian government rejects federalism and ruled out the attempts to divide the country along ethnic or sectarian lines as unworkable, adding: “You can’t have a separate Druze force dressed like Druze, separate Alawite force dressed like Alawites, separate Kurd force dressed like Kurds, and on and on. There’s going to be one entity.”

He noted a failed March agreement: “There was an agreement in March. They reached a principled understanding, but it didn’t work.

Why? Because everyone rushed to an accord without clarifying details. Details matter. Now it’s time to clarify details, bring everyone together.

The SDF thinks the U.S. owes them. The U.S. says, ‘We owe you reasonableness, but if you’re not reasonable, other alternatives come into play.'”

Barrack noted that the U.S. is encouraging dialogue but made clear that it will not remain in Syria “forever.”

“We’ll bring you together, we’ll arbitrate, we’ll mediate, we’ll help, but we’re not going to stick around,” he said, adding: “If you guys don’t agree, don’t agree, but we’re not going to be here forever as the babysitter.”

The Turkish government has repeatedly stressed over the years that the so-called SDF is led by the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and Türkiye.

Successive U.S. administrations, however—including President Trump’s first term, as well as those of Presidents Obama and Biden—have regarded the SDF as their primary partner in the fight against ISIL in Syria.

Ankara has  criticized U.S. support for the YPG under the SDF umbrella, arguing it threatens regional stability and Türkiye’s security.

Shifting to defense matters, Barrack hailed Türkiye’s advancements.

“Türkiye’s UAVs are probably the world’s best. TB2s are being used in the Ukraine war.”

He highlighted Türkiye’s key role in Ukraine-Russia and Middle East affairs, crediting strong ties with all actors, including the U.S..

Barrack praised President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, MİT chief İbrahim Kalın, and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for their pivotal contributions.

Barrack underscored Türkiye’s constructive efforts in regional crises: “Türkiye played a major role in the Ukraine-Russia grain deal and Gaza ceasefire attempts.

Diplomacy in the region couldn’t proceed without Türkiye and Qatar. Türkiye became one of our strongest mediators on Gaza.”

In closing, he affirmed the Trump administration’s emphasis on redefining ties with Türkiye:

“Türkiye has NATO’s second-largest army and is central. It has made significant progress in defense industry.

If issues like S-400s are resolved, the F-35 process can return. President Trump showed flexibility on this.

We believe our forward-looking cooperation with Türkiye will increase.”