In a move signaling a possible shift in United States foreign policy toward Syria, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa in RiyadhRiyadh on Wednesday 14 May, the first encounter between U.S. and Syrian leaders in over two decades.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, also included Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who joined via video call.
It comes months after Al-Sharaa, previously known as the leader of the insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized power following the collapse of the Assad regime.
Trump announced that the U.S. would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria on Tuesday 13 May, a decision hailed by Saudi Arabia but criticized by Israel. Trump described the move as a step toward offering “a chance at peace” for the war-torn nation.
Al-Sharaa’s rise marks the end of over five decades of Assad family rule. In January 2025, his HTS-led offensive stormed Damascus, swiftly toppling the regime.
While controversial, his interim leadership has garnered support from several states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who see him as a counterweight to Iranian influence in Syria.
The civil war in Syria, which erupted in 2011 following widespread anti-government protests, , has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. The conflict has reshaped the region, fueling one of the largest refugee crises in modern history, devastating infrastructure, and drawing in a range of international interventions.
The United States first imposed sanctions on Syria in 1979, designating it a state sponsor of terrorism. Additional sanctions were introduced throughout the civil war that began in 2011, largely in response to human rights violations under the Assad regime.
Comments (0)