Live Updates: Trump Meets With Ex-Rebel Who Now Leads Syria

 

Live Updates: Trump Meets With Ex-Rebel Who Now Leads Syria

 

President Trump’s meeting with President Ahmed al-Shara capped a remarkable turnabout for the leader of the rebel uprising that ousted Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Trump has said he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria.

 

May 14, 2025, 5:37 a.m. ET21 minutes ago

Vivian Nereim Jonathan Swan and Ismaeel NaarVivian Nereim reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05/14/us/trump-news-middle-east

 

Here’s the latest.

President Trump met the new president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shara, in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, a day after announcing that the United States would lift sanctions on the country in a major shift in U.S. policy.

 

It was the first time in 25 years that the leaders of the two countries had met, and it was another sign that decades of diplomatic isolation for Syria were ending.

 

The two leaders spoke for about half an hour ahead of Mr. Trump’s summit with top officials from six Arab countries, a White House official said. The encounter represented a stunning turnaround for Mr. al-Shara, who once led a branch of Al Qaeda before he broke ties with the jihadist group and sought to moderate his image.

 

Since Mr. al-Shara’s rebel alliance ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December, his administration has been trying to remove lingering international sanctions on Syria, a move that is seen as critical to breaking the economic stranglehold on a country that is central to the stability of the Middle East.

 

Mr. Trump met Mr. al-Shara at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, who also took part in the meeting. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who backed the anti-Assad insurgency, joined by phone.

 

Mr. Trump told the Syrian leader that he “has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country,” according to a summary of the meeting from the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. Mr. Trump also urged the Syrian leader to take steps to normalize relations with Israel and tell “all foreign terrorists to leave Syria,” according to the summary.

 

Mr. Trump’s four-day Middle East tour is the first major overseas trip of his second term. The first day focused in large part on business deals, including for defense equipment and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

 

Here’s what else to know:

 

U.S. and Syria: The Trump administration had for months kept its distance from Mr. al-Shara’s fledgling administration, with some U.S. officials expressing skepticism of the former rebel’s motives. The United States also demanded Syria take action on counterterrorism and other issues, some of which Mr. al-Shara’s administration has made moves toward addressing.

 

Friendly neighborhood: Mr. Trump built personal relationships with Gulf leaders during his first term, offering firm support without criticizing their human rights records. He has a special rapport with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the president of the U.A.E., and with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.

 

Opulent reception: Mr. Trump attended events in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that were heavy on opulence and pomp. The president appeared happy and impressed.