Syrian leader says lifting of US sanctions 'historic and courageous'
DAMASCUS
In this photo released by the Saudi Royal Palace, President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's "courageous" lifting of sanctions on his country.
Speaking in a television address, Sharaa said Trump's move "was a historic and courageous decision, which alleviates the suffering of the people, contributes to their rebirth and lays the foundations for stability in the region".
The U.S. president's offer to lift sanctions on Syria, mostly imposed during the repressive rule of ousted president Bashar al Assad, comes as a major boost to the war-ravaged country, still getting to grips with Sharaa's December toppling of Assad.
Trump met Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, becoming the first U.S. president to meet a Syrian leader in a quarter of a century, and urged the onetime jihadist to normalise ties with Israel.
The Syrian president thanked Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who organised the meeting, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — a key supporter of the new Damascus government — for his role in the encounter.
"Syrians, the road before us is still long. Today we begin the real work, with which modern Syria will be reborn," Sharaa added.
Sparked in 2011, Syria's civil war left more than half a million dead, displaced millions and devastated the Middle Eastern country.
Washington imposed sweeping financial sanctions on Syria during war and made clear it would punish anyone involved in reconstruction so long as Assad remained in power.
Trump however gave no indication that the United States would remove Syria from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism — a designation dating back to 1979 over support to Palestinian militants that severely impedes investment.
Erdoğan Wednesday took part online in the Riyadh talks between Trump and Sharaa, praising the U.S. leader's decision to lift sanctions on Damascus,
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia had both advocated reconciliation with Syria, but the move is the latest to put Trump at odds with Israel, which has voiced pessimism over Sharaa and ramped up strikes to degrade the longtime adversary's military capabilities.
Trump asked Sharaa to assume responsibility for ISIL detention centers in northeastern Syria that are under the control of the YPG terrorist group, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced on X.
Trump also urged the Syrian leader to normalize relations with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords signed by some Gulf Arab states.
Additionally, the U.S. leader called on Sharaa to deport Palestinian militants and tell foreign fighters to leave the country.
After the longer-than-expected half-hour meeting, Trump said the Assad-era sanctions had been "really crippling" on Syria.
"It's not going to be easy anyway, so it gives them a good, strong chance, and it was my honor to do so," Trump said, addressing Gulf Arab leaders in a council.
The sound of fireworks and applause rang out in Syria's major cities overnight after Trump first announced the decision on May 13.
In Syria's second city Aleppo, dozens of men, women and children took to the central Saadallah al-Jabiri Square, waving the new Syrian flag and singing.
