After lifting sanctions, Trump meets Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in first talks in 25 years

Trump meets Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa

President Donald Trump held a historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, marking the first direct encounter between the leaders of the two nations in 25 years.

The meeting took place alongside Trump’s discussions with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, signaling a significant shift for Syria as it continues to adjust to life after more than five decades of tight control under the Assad family.

Sanctions lifted

In an unexpected move, President Donald Trump announced that he “will order the lifting of sanctions against Syria to allow the country an opportunity to reach its potential.”

This marks a significant change in the United States' stance toward Syria. Interestingly, Trump acknowledged that his decision was influenced by both Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

During a recent visit to Paris, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa argued that there was no reason to continue European sanctions on the Assad regime.

"These sanctions were imposed on the previous government due to the crimes it committed, and that regime is no longer in power," Sharaa stated during a press conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

The meeting, held behind closed doors, did not allow reporters to attend, and the White House did not immediately provide additional details on the participants or the content of the discussion.

Trump stated that he aims to provide Syria, which is recovering from over a decade of brutal civil war, "a chance at peace" under President al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa, who became interim president of Syria in January, took office following a surprising offensive by insurgent groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The offensive swept through Damascus, bringing an end to the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

The United States has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December.

Many Gulf Arab leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran's return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad's government during a decadelong civil war.

But longtime US ally Israel has been deeply sceptical of al-Sharaa's extremist past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government. However, Trump cited the intervention of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as key to his decision.

The White House earlier signalled that the Trump and al-Sharaa engagement, on the sidelines of a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh convened as part of Trump's four-day visit to the region, would be brief, with the administration saying the US president had “agreed to say hello” to the Syrian president on Wednesday.

Al-Sharaa is the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.

Syria celebrates US sanction relief

Syrians celebrated Trump’s announcement to lift US sanctions, with crowds cheering in Umayyad Square, honking car horns, and waving the new Syrian flag. Fireworks lit up the night as people expressed their joy.

A statement from Syria's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night called the move “a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as we seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.” The ministry also emphasized that the sanctions were imposed “in response to the war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,” not the new interim government.

“The removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,” the statement added.

(With agency inputs)