President elect- Trump, who visited Paris on Saturday, warned against US involvement in Syria, saying the country is “a mess” and “not our friend.”
“THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Sullivan, addressing Trump’s remarks, agreed, saying “the United States is not going to… militarily dive into the middle of a Syrian civil war.”
In his remarks, Trump blamed former President Obama for the situation in Syria and suggested that Russia should now distance itself from the country, using its “weakened state” to advocate for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine.
He noted that this was a pivotal moment for Vladimir Putin to act. During his presidency, Trump initially announced a troop withdrawal from Syria in 2019, a decision later reconsidered amid concerns about leaving a power vacuum for Russia and ISIS. The BBC suggests Trump might seek to return to his previous stance.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US will closely monitor developments in Syria and continue to collaborate with regional partners. He emphasized the US commitment to supporting international efforts to hold the Assad regime accountable for atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons and the unjust detention of civilians, such as journalist Austin Tice.
US troops continue to train and equip what Washington views as moderate Arab and Kurdish forces in areas east of the Euphrates River and at the al-Tanf base near the borders of Iraq and Jordan. While it is unclear how Damascus will respond to the US presence in Syria, it appears likely that Washington will seek to negotiate a stabilization of the country, primarily relying on its preferred factions.