U.S. President Donald Trump met Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House, marking a major step toward normalizing relations between the two countries.
The closed-door meeting focused on Syria’s request for a permanent end to U.S. sanctions and Washington’s goal of bringing Damascus into the coalition against the Islamic State group. Trump had temporarily lifted sanctions earlier this year, but a full repeal would need approval from Congress.
The visit followed Syria’s new anti-IS operations and a UN Security Council decision to remove al-Sharaa from terrorist sanctions lists. Once a member of al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa broke away, led rebel forces that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in 2024, and now heads Syria’s interim government.
Credit : CGTN