Trump meets Syria's interim president after pledging to lift sanctions

President Trump speaks with leaders astatine the Gulf Cooperation Council connected May 14, 2025 successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He met concisely with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier connected Wednesday. Win McNamee/Getty Images Europe hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images Europe

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump met Wednesday with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, spending astir fractional an hr speaking with him connected the sidelines of a sojourn to Saudi Arabia.

The gathering was added to Trump's docket arsenic helium announced helium would lift U.S. sanctions against Syria, a determination hailed by Syria's overseas curate arsenic "pivotal" to rebuilding a state devastated by much than a decennary of civilian warfare and planetary isolation.

Trump encouraged Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel by signing connected to the Abraham Accords, and urged him to deter terrorism, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said connected societal media.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was successful the country for the meeting, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined by phone, the White House said. The 2 leaders had asked Trump to conscionable with Sharaa. The White House posted an representation of the meeting, but reporters traveling with Trump were not allowed successful the room.

The U.S. had slapped sanctions respective times connected Syria implicit the past 20 years, aimed astatine the authorities of Bashar al-Assad, who had taken implicit the state pursuing the decease of his father, Hafez al-Assad. Hafez had ruled Syria for decades with an robust fist.

But the sanctions had remained successful spot aft Assad fled the state successful December successful the aftermath of a astonishment lightning run led by Sharaa and his conjugation of rebel fighters. Sharaa was himself connected the U.S. database of designated terrorists astatine the clip for his past links to al-Qaida and Islamic State, but that designation was swiftly removed arsenic Sharaa vowed to physique an inclusive nine with extortion for each of Syria's myriad taste and spiritual minorities.

The sanctions, however, remained successful spot arsenic galore countries were inactive wary of his past. A bid of deadly clashes betwixt factions loyal to Sharaa's authorities and taste minorities raised fears that helium whitethorn effort to support his regularisation by force.

But Sharaa has shown himself to beryllium an capable diplomat, and has toured the Arab satellite and different nations trying to easiness those fears and rise enactment for an extremity to sanctions and his efforts to rebuild the country. This month, helium flew to Paris to conscionable President Emmanuel Macron, who has besides called for an easing of sanctions.

Sharaa and those astir him person adjacent hinted astatine friendly ties with Israel, which has been carrying retired a bid of airstrikes wrong Syria since the autumn of the Assad regime, astatine archetypal saying it wanted to debar weapons falling into the hands of extremists, and past to support the Druze minority who unrecorded connected some broadside of the Israel-Syria border, and who person fought clashes with Sunni factions allied with the caller government. Israeli troops person besides taken implicit positions on the borderline with the Israel-controlled Golan Heights that were erstwhile held by Syrian forces, a determination Israel says is to support its ain territory.

Trump's announcement Monday that helium planned to assistance the sanctions, which person starved Syria of desperately needed planetary investment, was met with prolonged applause astatine the Saudi concern forum wherever helium was speaking, an accolade led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself.

The sanctions had threatened to unit Syria to question fiscal enactment from Russia, which had allied itself with the erstwhile authorities and whose warfare planes had bombed opposition-held cities. Moscow inactive has 2 subject bases wrong Syria.

Gulf states are keen to put successful Syria, which has important mineral and lipid reserves, but had been prevented from doing by the U.S. restrictions.