Donald Trump became the first U.S. president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader on Wednesday, May 14th, after he granted sanctions relief in hopes of offering a new path to the war-battered country.
Trump, in Riyadh on the first state visit of his second term, met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, an Islamist terrorist turned interim president after the December overthrow of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad.
The two held brief talks ahead of a larger gathering of Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia during Trump’s tour of the region.
The meeting is highly controversial, as Ahmed al-Sharaa fought in the ranks of ISIS (Islamic State) and was the head of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, also known as Al-Nusra Front.
Under his leadership, Islamist fighters have been involved in the massacre of thousands of Christians and Alawites in Syria. Yet European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, are embracing al-Sharaa and the new Syrian regime.
Trump announced on Tuesday that he was lifting “brutal and crippling” Assad-era sanctions on Syria in response to demands from al-Sharaa’s allies in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The meeting with Sharaa follows an arms deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia which the White House called “the largest defence sales agreement in history.”
On Wednesday, Trump said it was Syrians’ “time to shine” and that easing sanctions would “give them a chance at greatness.”
Israel has kept up a bombing campaign against Syria both before and after the fall of Assad, with Israel pessimistic about change under al-Sharaa and hoping to degrade the military capacity of its longtime adversary.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took part online in the Riyadh talks between Trump and al-Sharaa, praising the U.S. leader’s decision to lift sanctions on Damascus.
He also said Turkey would continue to support Syria’s new leader in its fight “against terror organisations,” such as ISIS militants.
