Trump to Greet Syria’s President Al-Sharaa Amid Bold New Diplomatic Push
Trump’s decision to engage with al-Sharaa follows encouragement from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — In a major diplomatic development, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet Wednesday with Syria’s newly appointed President Ahmad al-Sharaa during his Middle East tour, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The meeting marks Trump’s first direct engagement with the former militant leader who now governs Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December. Al-Sharaa—once known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani—was a prominent figure in al-Qaida’s insurgency in Iraq and previously held in U.S. custody before returning to Syria during the country’s civil war.
Al-Sharaa assumed the presidency in January 2025 after leading his faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), in a sweeping offensive that captured Damascus and ended 54 years of Assad family rule.
The White House confirmed that Trump will meet briefly with al-Sharaa before departing Saudi Arabia for Qatar, where the U.S. president will be honored with a state visit. His broader tour also includes stops in the United Arab Emirates and a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), composed of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Trump’s decision to engage with al-Sharaa follows encouragement from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a wide-ranging foreign policy address on Tuesday, Trump announced that the U.S. would lift sanctions on Syria that had been in place since 2011.
“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” Trump said. “That’s what we want to see in Syria.”
The U.S. sanctions, maintained by successive administrations, targeted the Assad regime but remained in place even after Assad’s ouster. Trump’s move to lift them signals a significant shift in Washington’s stance, suggesting a willingness to work with Syria’s new leadership under certain conditions.
While the meeting is described by the White House as an introductory encounter—Trump reportedly agreed to “say hello” to al-Sharaa—the symbolism is powerful. It reflects a broader strategy by the Trump administration to engage pragmatically with emerging power structures in the region amid shifting alliances and new geopolitical realities.
