US President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States should "not get involved" in the situation in Syria, where fast-moving rebel forces say they have begun to encircle the capital Damascus.
"Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!" Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
He posted the message shortly before he arrived at the Elysees Palace to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron while in Paris for the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame cathedral.
It was not immediately clear why Trump raised the issue of a role in Syria, though he may have wished to ensure that President Joe Biden avoids any entanglement there before handing power to Trump on January 20.
There has been no public signal that the Biden administration is contemplating such an intervention.
Trump has long taken an isolationist approach, and during this year's presidential campaign, he often said he could end the Ukraine and Gaza wars "quickly."
Trump's trip to Paris, where some 50 world leaders have converged for the Notre Dame ceremony, provides him an early opportunity to re-exert himself on the world stage.
Among those leaders is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to confer with the president-elect.
Both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to be under mounting pressure to find a way to wind down the war in Ukraine.
Trump said in his post that Russia, "with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years."
"But now they are, like possibly Assad himself, being forced out, and it may actually be the best thing that can happen to them. There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia."
With AFP
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