Trump vows to lift sanctions on Syria

The US president said the step would help the new government in Damascus “stabilize” the situation in the country

US President Donald Trump has said he will lift sanctions on Syria, reversing more than a decade of policy aimed at pressuring Damascus. He added that he hoped for a “fresh start” with the transitional government of Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, came to prominence as the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group with ties to Al-Qaeda which led a coalition of opposition groups that toppled longtime leader Bashar Assad last year.

“There’s a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” Trump said during an investment forum in Riyadh on Tuesday. “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” he added.

“It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off,” Trump said. “Good luck Syria, show us something very special.”

The US president reportedly plans to meet Al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. “We ... stand ready to foster a relationship with the United States that is rooted in mutual respect, trust, and shared interests,” Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani told Reuters. He added that Trump could achieve a “historic peace deal and victory for US interests in Syria.”

Al-Sharaa, who traveled to Paris last week to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, has said there was “no justification” for maintaining sanctions that hamper Syria’s recovery from nearly 15 years of civil war.

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During a visit to Qatar in February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the sanctions were “harming the Syrian people” and should be lifted without preconditions.

Syria descended into a chaotic civil war following an anti-Assad uprising in 2011. Under President Barack Obama, the US helped train and equip “moderate” militants, many of whom later defected to jihadist groups. Trump carried out airstrikes on various military sites in the country during his first term in office.

The opposition offensive, which culminated in the capture of Damascus by Al-Sharaa’s HTS militants and others in December, was accompanied by massacres of Alawites, Christians, and Assad loyalists. Earlier this year, the UN and human rights groups expressed concern over deadly clashes between pro-government militias and the Druze community.