U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made bold statements on the social media platform Truth, alleging that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and criticizing Russia for its involvement in Syria.
"Assad is no longer there. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, no longer wished to shield him," Trump wrote. He added that Russia "had no reason to be there in the first place" and suggested the Kremlin has lost interest in Syria due to its focus on Ukraine.
According to Trump, Russia is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, where "nearly 600,000 Russian soldiers are wounded or dead" in a conflict he described as unnecessary and potentially endless.
He also argued that "Russia and Iran are both weakened"—Russia by the economic and human toll of Ukraine, and Iran by "Israel's successes on the battlefield."