President-elect Donald Trump urged Russia to negotiate a halt to the fighting in Ukraine following to fall of the Assad regime in Syria — saying the Kremlin was in a “weakened state” as a result of the war and the “bad economy.”
“There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse,” Trump, 78, posted on Truth Social early Sunday.
“I know Vladimir [Putin] well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”
Moscow has been skeptical about a ceasefire — at least in the public eye, contending that it would give Kyiv time to regroup and strengthen its defense. The Kremlin has demanded Ukraine pull out of Russian-annexed territory in the besieged country despite not having full control over it.
The incoming president, who has long signaled a strong desire to end the war, huddled with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron during the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday.
Trump, who has at times expressed a fascination with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, remarked about how feeble Moscow appeared in Syria after the shocking and swift fall of Bashar al-Assad, whom Russia backed with troops, aircraft and navy ships.
“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer,” Trump mused. “They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever.
“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success.”
Some analysts have speculated that Russia is scrambling to strengthen its hand at a possible future negotiating table ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Moscow has made significant territorial gains in Ukraine over recent weeks.
Trump has long made clear his intent to end the brutal war unfolding between Kyiv and Moscow, though he has been light on specifics about how he’d end it.
“Likewise, Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians,” he added on Truth Social.
“Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse.”
Following his meeting with Trump, Zelensky, 46, underscored his desire for “a just and enduring peace” and blasted Putin for being “addicted to war.”
Over recent weeks, Zelensky, who had long demanded a return to the 1991 borders (meaning Ukraine gets back Donbas and Crimea) seemingly softened his stance and left the door open to ending the war provided that Ukraine can join NATO and pursue the rest of its territory diplomatically.
Trump’s overture to Putin comes against the backdrop of dramatic developments in Syria, where Russia had propped up the regime’s former notorious dictator for over a decade.
Syrian rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had begun a dramatic renewed offensive late last month, jumpstarting what had been a pretty dormant civil war.
HTS and rebelled forces had stormed into Damascus and claimed it toppled the regime. HTS, which has ties to Islamic extremism, had seemingly launched its attack knowing that Assad’s ally Syria was preoccupied with Ukraine and Iran and its proxy forces like Hezbollah had been battered by Israel, leaving no one to bail out the anemic regime.
Prior to the collapse of the regime, Trump had publicly called upon the US to stay out of the events unfolding in Syria due to the complex nature at play.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin unveiled a roughly $1 billion package of military assistance for Ukraine on Saturday.
