‘Let it play out’: Trump says the US has nothing to do with the conflict in Syria

President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday the US should not be involved in the conflict in Syria, where opposition forces are threatening the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

“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 in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump said because Russia, an al-Assad ally, is tied up fighting a war with Ukraine it “seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years.”

If Russia were forced out of Syria, it “may actually be the best thing that can happen to them” because “there was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia,” Trump said.

He posted the message shortly before he was to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron while in Paris for the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame cathedral.