US President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday, the 8th of December, that Russia had abandoned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which led to his downfall, adding that Moscow should have never protected him in the first place and then lost interest because of the Ukraine war that should never have been started, reports Reuters.
President Assad fled to Russia after rebels captured the capital, Damascus, after 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of brutal rule by his family.
“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia led by (President) Vladimir Putin was no longer interested in protecting him,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Russia had no reason to be there in the first place,” Trump wrote. “They lost interest in Syria because of Ukraine… a war that should never have started and could go on forever.”
Trump, who takes office on the 20th of January, added that Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main backer, “are now weakened – one by Ukraine and a bad economy, the other by Israel and its success in fighting”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov CONFIRMED on Monday that Assad had been granted asylum in Russia on humanitarian grounds,
noting that the decision was taken by President Vladimir Putin, but noted that no meeting between the two leaders was currently scheduled.
More broadly, Peskov said that the Kremlin sees a turbulent international situation with a high potential for conflict.
“We see the situation around Ukraine, we see many contradictory statements in this regard, we see a growing potential for conflict in other regions, we can say the “burning” Middle East,” Peskov said.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire and talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the “madness”.
“I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!” he said.
The Kremlin said on Sunday that Russia is open to talks, but they must be based on the agreements reached in Istanbul in 2022 and the current reality on the battlefield, where Russian forces continue to gain territory. Putin has stated that, in order to reach a peace agreement, Ukraine must not join NATO and the four regions currently partly controlled by Russia must be left under Russian control.
Asked whether there had been any communication with Trump or his team, Peskov replied: “No, there have still been no contacts..”