US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. (Via Reuters)

Trump to meet with Syria’s al-Sharaa on Monday, White House says

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US President Donald Trump plans to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday at a press briefing.

“When the president was in the Middle East, he made the historic decision to lift sanctions on Syria to give them a real chance at peace and I think the administration, we’ve seen good progress on that front under their new leadership,” she said.

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On Sunday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said al-Sharaa will discuss issues including lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction and counter-terrorism when he becomes the country’s first leader to pay an official visit to Washington.

On Saturday, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said al-Sharaa was heading to Washington “hopefully” to sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against ISIS.

Though it will be al-Sharaa’s first visit to Washington, it will be his second to the US after a landmark UN trip in September, where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.

In May, al-Sharaa, who led armed opposition forces that ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during a historic visit that led to the US leader vowing to lift economic sanctions on Syria.

Read more: Washington eyes end to Caesar Act sanctions as Trump prepares to host Syria’s al-Sharaa

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