Trump to meet with Al Golani, Syria’s new president, and announces end of sanctions against his government

President Donald Trump plans to hold a brief meeting Wednesday with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al Sharaa, also known as Al Golani, as part of his visit to Riyadh, a U.S. official told AFP.

"The president agreed to greet the Syrian president during his stay in Saudi Arabia tomorrow," said a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

After confirmation, Trump announced in Riyadh the lifting of sanctions on Syria. "I will order an end to sanctions against Syria to give them a chance at greatness," Trump said to applause in a speech in Riyadh.

Speaking to Syria's state-run SANA news agency, Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani welcomed Trump's announcement, calling it a "fundamental turning point for the Syrian people as we move toward a future of stability, self-reliance and genuine reconstruction after years of a destructive war."

Change of government in Syria

Al Sharaa, appointed interim president following the offensive led by his Islamist coalition that toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, now maintains intense diplomatic activity with Arab and European countries. He has a controversial past due to his leadership of several groups designated as terrorists by most of the international community.

Despite this past, European countries and the United States seem willing to turn the page and accept the new government in Syria, which has been war-torn for years and which only a few months ago was completely liberated from the regime of Bashar Assad.

A number of European leaders traveled to Damascus to re-establish relations with the new Syrian government. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron received Al Sharaa with honors at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.