President-elect Donald Trump addressed the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Sunday, suggesting that Russia’s war with Ukraine had cost it a key ally in the Middle East.

Reports indicate that Assad fled Syria over the weekend as terrorist rebel forces seized control of Damascus. His regime fell following a rapid offensive by rebel forces, led by the terror group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), marking a sudden resurgence in Syria’s civil war, which had largely been stagnant in recent years.

“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer,” Trump wrote. “There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever.”

“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 fighting success,” he continued. “Likewise, [Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky] and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians.”

“There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. 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. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!” Trump said.

Assad, who assumed the presidency in 2000, maintained his grip on power through over a decade of civil war with the support of allies in Iran and Russia. However, recent conflicts drained resources from his allies, leaving Assad vulnerable. Taking advantage of this weakened state, terrorist rebel forces, long confined to Syria’s northwest region, launched a successful offensive to overthrow the Syrian government.

The rebels are led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an organization that emerged from an offshoot of al-Qaeda. Although HTS later severed ties with al-Qaeda, it was designated a U.S.-recognized terror group in 2018. Turkey has provided backing to HTS in its efforts to unseat Assad.

Trump earlier called for the United States to stay out of the conflict in Syria.

“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” Trump said in a post on X. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”