As we anticipated above Panorama.itthe Syrian crisis intersects with the Ukrainian one. To make this situation further clear are the statements of Donald Trump on the fall of Bashar al Assad.
“Assad he is gone”, wrote the American president in pectore on Truth. “He fled his country. Its protector, Russia, led by Vladimir Putinhe was no longer interested in protecting him. There was no reason why Russia should be there in the first place. They have lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where some 600,000 Russian soldiers lie wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started and could continue forever,” he continued.
“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 success in combat,” he added, before continuing: “At the same way, Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They lost a ridiculous 400,000 soldiers and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin.” “Too many lives are wasted needlessly, too many families destroyed, and if this continues, it can turn into something much bigger and much worse. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The world is waiting!”, he concluded.
In short, it is clear that Trump aims to leverage Russia’s weakness in Syria to have greater room for maneuver in negotiations on the Ukrainian dossier. Among other things, it should not be forgotten that, in recent weeks, the president’s team has not distanced itself from the Biden administration’s decision to authorize the use of Atacms missiles on Russian territory. It is therefore clear that the tycoon wants to increase pressure on the Kremlin. On the other hand, the president in pectore is also putting pressure on Kiev to agree to sit at the negotiating table, without the precondition of the unilateral withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territories: a precondition that Trump has always considered unrealistic.
The tycoon’s strategy is therefore similar to that conducted by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 in Korea and since Richard Nixonin the early 1970s, to end the war in Vietnam: increase pressure on adversaries and allies to push them to an agreement. On the other hand, while aiming to exploit the Tsar’s Syrian weakness, Trump he knows he cannot afford a Russia that is too weak, given that one of his objectives is to decouple Moscow from Beijing as much as possible. From this point of view, a statement released by him on Saturday is interesting Trumpas a commentary on the Syrian crisis. “Syria is a disaster, but it is not our friend. The United States should have nothing to do with this situation. This is not our war, let it happen. Let’s not get involved.”
Underlining his desire to stay out of Syria, the next American president is likely to intend to work on a new balance between Moscow and Ankara on the Middle Eastern scene. And precisely such a balance could be used by Trump as a bargaining chip in the Ukrainian negotiations.
