United States President Donald Trump met with Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said on 14 May.
She specified that the meeting was held at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the meeting by phone. According to Levitt, Erdogan “appreciated the lifting of sanctions” by the US against Syria.
“President Trump thanked President Erdogan and the crown prince for their friendship and told President al-Sharaa that he has a great opportunity to do something historic in his country,” she said.
Levitt cited the demands Trump voiced during his meeting with the Syrian president:
- to sign the “Abraham Accords” with Israel (a series of treaties to normalise relations between Israel and Arab states – ed.).
- order “all foreign terrorists” to leave Syria
- deport “Palestinian terrorists”.
- help the U.S. prevent a resurgence of “ISIS”
- take responsibility for ISIS detention centres in northeastern Syria
According to a White House spokeswoman, al-Sharaa thanked Trump, the Crown Prince and President Erdogan and pointed to the shared interests of the US and Syria in fighting terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons:
“President al-Sharaa reaffirmed his commitment to the 1974 demarcation with Israel. President al-Sharaa concluded his speech with the hope that Syria will serve as a critical link in facilitating East-West trade and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas.”
Levitt added that the Russian-Ukrainian war and the war in Gaza were also among the topics of conversation.
The Syrian side has not publicly commented on Washington’s demands. Syrian Minister of Legal Affairs Asaad al-Shaibani released a photo of the meeting between al-Sharaa and Trump.
“We share this achievement with the people of Syria who sacrificed to restore Syria to the position it deserves. Now the work begins for a great Syria, thank God,” he commented.
Israel has launched a series of strikes on Syrian territory since the toppling of the Assad regime at the end of 2024. In particular, the country’s head of government Benjamin Netanyahu called the attacks a signal to the new Syrian authorities that Israel will not allow threats to the community of friends living in Syria.