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President-elect Donald Trump publicly urged Vladimir Putin to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in a late-night social media post Saturday evening sent amid reports that Damascus, Syria’s capital, fell to a rebel attack.
Trump issued his call on Truth Social, writing that “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin” in the wake of Bashar al-Assad, Putin’s ally, being ousted by a Turkish-backed rebel force.
Reports indicated that the Syrian leader fled the capital in a plane with close advisers; that plane may then have crashed. His whereabouts and status are unknown.
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
He added: “I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”
Trump recently met with the Ukrainian leader as well during a trip to France for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
His arrival in Washington in January is expected to upend the war in Ukraine as many believe that the Trump administration will end military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to bring the two sides to a peace agreement — one that could more than likely be to Russia’s benefit if Ukraine is suddenly cut off from the bulk of western support.
The fall of Syria’s government was sudden, and came in the face of a widespread rebel offensive that overtook the cities of Homs and Aleppo in the days immediately leading up to the fall. It’s an end to the decade-long Syrian Civil War, begun during the regionwide “Arab Spring” phenomenon during the Obama administration and quickly became a shockingly brutal and bloody conflict as Bashar al-Assad, backed by Iranian-supported militias including Hezbollah as well as Russia, mercilessly pounded the rebel force and occupied areas, pushing them away from the capital.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…