19 Jul 2017 5:07 pm
A big wet kiss to Putin.'Putin won in Syria': Trump is reportedly ending the CIA's covert program to arm Syrian rebels.
President Donald Trump will end the CIA program authorized by his predecessor in 2013 to arm Syrian rebel groups against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The decision comes just more than three months after Trump ordered the US Navy to launch dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield that Assad had used to carry out a chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians.
But the termination of the often-troubled program reflects what is currently one of his biggest priorities: improving relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"This is a momentous decision," a current official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a covert program, told The Post.
"Putin won in Syria."
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, known for his hawkish views toward Russia, tweeted that "if true – and I hope it’s not – it would be a complete capitulation to Assad, Russia, and Iran."
He continued: "If true, big loss for: 1) Syrians who have been relentlessly attacked by Assad 2) Our Arab partners 3) US standing in the Middle East."