Syrian government announces a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces

RAQQA, Syria (AP) — The Syrian government Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the northeast for over a decade.

The agreement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push towards the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense frontline area in eastern Aleppo province. Syria’s Defense Ministry said it has ordered the fighting to halt on the frontlines after the agreement was announced.

Syria’s new leaders since toppling Bashar Assad in December 2024 have struggled to assert their full authority over the war-torn country. An agreement was reached in March that would merge the SDF with Damascus, but it didn't hit the ground running as both sides accused each other of violating the deal.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

RAQQA, Syria (AP) — Syrian government forces Sunday entered the city of Raqqa in its ongoing push in areas held by Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria.

The military push into the city deep into eastern Syria came after tensions between Damascus and the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, flared up earlier this month, leading to deadly clashes and the government taking control of three Aleppo neighborhoods from Kurdish fighters. The SDF is also losing ground in Deir el-Zour province.

The SDF didn't immediately comment on the Raqqa developments, but earlier said its forces prevented attacks by the Islamic State group in some neighborhoods in the city.

An Associated Press reporter in the area said that large military convoys swept into the city and were greeted by residents. It appeared that the SDF had withdrawn.

Earlier, the military seized Tabqa in the province of Raqqa, which is viewed as critical because of a dam that controls the southward flow of the Euphrates River, and is also home to an air base. The government took control of oil fields in the province.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Washington's efforts to bring about calm between both sides, their key allies in Syria, have thus far been unsuccessful.

Since leading an insurgency to oust longtime President Bashar Assad in December 2024, al-Sharaa has struggled to assert full control across the country and appeal to minorities skeptical of Syria’s Islamist-led rule. The government and the SDF have traded accusations of violating an agreement in March that would reintegrate northeastern Syria and Kurdish-led forces with the government.

After the government's military push, Syrian official news agency SANA said Sunday that a statement would be made about integrating the SDF into Syrian state institutions, after reports surfaced of SDF leader Mazloum Abdi resuming talks with Damascus.

The SDF has controlled large swaths of northeastern Syria for years, including its oil fields, and has been Washington’s key ally in combating the extremist Islamic State group. Since Assad’s ouster, however, the United States has developed strong ties with Damascus and tried to ease tensions between the two sides.

An Associated Press reporter saw residents coming out of their homes to welcome the Syrian troops while waving the national flag. Another AP journalist saw Syrian government forces in control of oil fields in Raqqa province that had previously been under the control of the SDF.

The U.S. had urged calm after this month's Aleppo clashes left at least 23 dead and tens of thousands displaced. After the fighting halted, Abdi said Friday that the group would withdraw its forces from the area to the east of the Euphrates following al-Sharaa's announcement on measures adopted to strengthen Kurdish rights in Syria.

Last week, Syria’s Defense Ministry closed off a contested area in eastern Aleppo as a military zone, which includes part of a tense front line that divides the areas under government and SDF control.

It now appears that the SDF lost large segments of what was once under its control in northeast Syria, especially in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces. Syrian government troops are also backed by local armed Arab tribes that currently oppose the SDF.

In the Deir el-Zour province, further east, asked residents to stay home after reports of clashes with the SDF. Pressure has apparently mounted in the strategic province

Relations between the SDF and Arab tribes in the eastern province near a strategic border crossing with Iraq have been strained. Deir el-Zour is also home to the Al-Omar oil and Conoco gas fields, near where U.S. troops are based in the area. There have been unconfirmed reports that local armed tribes opposed to the Kurdish-led administration have taken control of the fields.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government, in a statement, accused SDF forces of killing prisoners in Tabqa before withdrawing from the area. The SDF denied the allegations, saying they had transferred the detainees out of the prison, and accused government forces of firing at the facility. It shared a video showing armed men in civilian clothing in the prison seizing munitions left there, with the person filming yelling: “We liberated Tabqa prison!" No bodies were seen in the short video.

An AP journalist visited two prisons in Tabqa and found them empty of prisoners. There were no bodies inside. However, he saw three bodies of people in civilian clothes who appeared to have been killed at a school near one of the prisons.

The SDF took Tabqa from IS back in 2017 as part of its military campaign to take down the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate, which at its peak stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. At the height of its control, IS declared Raqqa its capital.

Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Residents topple a statue of a female Kurdish fighter after the takeover of the town by Syrian government forces from U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Female soldiers of the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) march during a military parade in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. Syrian government forces have seized a strategic towns in eastern Syria, intensifying their push against Kurdish-led forces east of the Euphrates River.(AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Residents topple a statue of a female Kurdish fighter after the takeover of the town by Syrian government forces from U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Residents wave a Syrian flag atop a toppled statue of a female Kurdish fighter, with one holding a statue's replica AK-47 that was part of the statue, after the takeover of the town by Syrian government forces from U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Residents topple a statue of a female Kurdish fighter after the takeover of the town by Syrian government forces from U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Local youth cheer as Syrian government troops take control of the town from the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian government soldier walks at al-Thawra oil field after government troops took control of it from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during an ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces, in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

A Syrian government soldier stands next to the bodies of U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters on a road leading to the strategic town of Taqba in eastern Syria, during an ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers and locals carry the body of a dead civilian found by relatives in the street after government forces seized the strategic town of Taqba in eastern Syria, as part of an ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers and locals carry the body of a dead civilian found by relatives in the street after government forces seized the strategic town of Taqba in eastern Syria, as part of an ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian government soldier displays the ID of a dead civilian found in the street after government forces seized the strategic town of Taqba in eastern Syria, as part of an ongoing push against Kurdish-led forces, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government soldiers pose for a photo taken by another soldier at the entrance to Raqqa, Syria, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

BERLIN (AP) — The eight European countries targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump for a 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland blasted the move Sunday, warning that his threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

The joint statement by some of America’s closest allies signaled a possible turning point in the recent tensions over sovereignty and security nearly 24 hours after Trump’s threat.

It was also the most forceful rebuke of Trump from the European allies since he returned to the White House almost a year ago. In recent months, Europeans have mostly opted for diplomacy and flattery around him, even when seeking an end to the war in Ukraine. Sunday’s statement, as well as some European countries sending troops to Greenland for a Danish military training exercise, appeared to be a step away from that strategy.

The unusually strong joint statement from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland said troops sent to Greenland for operation “Arctic Endurance” pose “no threat to anyone.”

Trump's Saturday announcement sets up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. He appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to U.S. national security.

“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the group said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the European Union is a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under U.S. law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from divisions between the U.S. and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity."

Europe has been trying to keep Trump on its side to ensure U.S. support for Ukraine, including Washington sharing intelligence with Kyiv and its involvement in security guarantees if a peace agreement is reached with Russia.

Rasmus Søndergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, called Trump’s announcement “unprecedented” because tariff threats normally stem from trade disagreements, not territorial disputes between allies.

“That’s of course why we’re seeing the response from European countries saying ’enough is enough,’” he told The Associated Press. “I think there’s in part probably a strategic calculation, of course, from the governments in these countries that if you give in to Trump on this, what will be the next thing? And at some point you have to sort of push back.”

Søndergaard also said Trump leveled the playing field for Europe with the tariff threat. Europeans cannot compete militarily, but the EU can wield an economic weapon through reciprocal tariffs.

“The EU has the ability to really strike back with force if they want to, and it will hurt European economies,” he said. “It will hurt American economies. The challenge for Trump is he has midterms coming up and it’s not going to help him if the U.S. goes into more of an economic recession or more of a economic turmoil than is already the case.”

Trump's move was also panned domestically.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot and Arizona Democrat, said Trump’s threatened tariffs on U.S. allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.”

“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” Kelly wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he supports the United States ultimately owning Greenland, but not how Trump is trying to accomplish it.

He said he had concerns whether Trump had the constitutional authority to impose unilateral tariffs on NATO allies, as well as about a threat of a military invasion. Trump’s current position threatens “to fracture that strong relationship, not just with Denmark, but with all of our NATO allies,” Pence said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Six of the countries targeted are part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was not immediately clear if Trump's tariffs would impact the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks Sunday evening to determine a potential response.

The tariff announcement also drew blowback from Trump's populist allies in Europe.

Italy’s right-wing premier, Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”

The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni said, adding it was not a move against the U.S. but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn’t identify.

Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the U.S., describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”

Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticized the tariff threat.

“We don’t always agree with the U.S. government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump. His social media post stopped short of criticizing Trump's designs on Greenland.

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labour Party, said the tariffs announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration.”

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Lawless reported from London and Burrows reported from Nuuk, Greenland. John Leicester in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Aamer Madhani in Washington, Edith M. Lederer in New York, and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.

A woman pulls her children on a sled during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A crowd walks to the US consulate to protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A boy holds a crossed out map of Greenland topped by a hairpiece symbolizing U.S. President Donald Trump, during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)