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A surprise meeting in Riyadh: Trump and Sharaa face to face

5/12/2025

The British newspaper "The Times" reported on Monday that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is likely to take place in Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper revealed that Sharaa is scheduled to meet with Trump as part of a group that includes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

She added that the meeting would be an opportunity for the Syrian president to pressure for the lifting of US sanctions imposed on his country.

She emphasized that this pressure could be met with "several concessions, including allowing American companies to exploit natural resources in a mineral deal similar to what happened in Ukraine."

Syria is struggling to ease US sanctions, which keep the country isolated from the global financial system and make economic recovery extremely difficult after a devastating 14-year war.

In a sign of a possible shift in Washington's policy, Trump said Monday that he might ease US sanctions.

"We'll have to make a decision about sanctions," Trump told reporters. "We may lift them on Syria because we want to give them a fresh start."

The Times reported, citing security sources, that Sharaa may also offer to "hold talks on joining the Abraham Accords."

She continued: "(Al-Shara'a) may be willing to establish a demilitarized zone or allow Israel to maintain a security presence in southwestern Syria, where Israeli forces have established a buffer zone next to the Golan Heights, an area it occupied in 1967."

However, there appears to be a split among Trump's senior advisors over the merits of meeting with Sharaa.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is among those understood to remain cautious about the meeting and may try to prevent it, according to the same source.

Others, including US envoy Steve Witkoff, are believed to be more supportive of the meeting, recognizing Trump's willingness to abandon protocol and tradition to strike deals, according to The Times.

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