In a historic first meeting in 25 years, US President Donald Trump meets Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, after US lifts sanctions on Syria despite Israeli objections.
US President Donald Trump met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, shortly after a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa’s head was lifted.
Al-Sharaa is still officially designated by the US as a jihadist terrorist.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also attended the meeting, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan participated remotely.
This marks the first meeting between a US president and a Syrian president in 25 years and is seen as part of a broader normalization process for al-Sharaa, who was formerly a senior member of Al-Qaeda.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt published the following statement after the meeting: “Today, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi Arabia to encourage peace and prosperity in Syria. The Crown Prince also commended President Trump for his decision to lift the sanctions, calling it courageous. President Trump thanked President Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their friendship, and told President al-Sharaa that he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country.”
“President Trump encouraged President al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people, and urged him to: 1. Sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel. 2. Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria. 3. Deport Palestinian terrorists. 4. Help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS. 5. Assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria.”
“President al-Sharaa thanked President Trump, the Crown Prince, and President Erdogan for their efforts to put together the meeting, and recognized the significant opportunity presented by the Iranians leaving Syria, as well as shared US-Syrian interests in countering terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons. President al-Sharaa affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel. President al-Sharaa concluded with his hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas. The Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza was also discussed.”
Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa followed his Tuesday evening announcement that he planned to lift US sanctions on Syria. The move reportedly came in response to requests from Erdoğan and bin Salman.
Trump explained the decision as part of his desire to give the “new Syria” a real and meaningful opportunity: “Syria has suffered enough disasters, wars, and killings for many years. Therefore, my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria — for the first time in more than a decade.”
The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged Trump not to lift the sanctions or support Syria’s stabilization, warning that a repeat of the events of October 7 could occur. However, Trump did not accept the request.
Senior Israeli officials have warned that al-Sharaa is deceiving the world and, under the guise of a suited diplomat, aims to establish an Islamist terror regime in Syria that could be no less dangerous than its predecessor.
