(Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Russia’s abandonment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad led to his downfall, adding that Moscow should not have protected him in the first place and then lost interest in a war in Ukraine that should never have started .
“Assad is gone. He fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by (President) Vladimir Putin, was no longer interested in protecting him,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform.
“There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place,” Trump wrote. “They have lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine … a war that should never have started and could go on forever.”
Trump, who takes office on January 20, added that Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main backer, “are now in a weakened state, one because of Ukraine and the bad economy, the other because of Israel and its success in the fight.”
Trump, who has said he will seek to quickly end the war in Ukraine, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday in Paris where both attended a ceremony to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral.
He said both Russia and Ukraine have suffered hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded soldiers, and Ukraine has also lost many civilians. He added that the Ukrainian leader “would like to make a deal and stop the madness… There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin.”
“I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!”
