Trump urges Syrian President Sharaa to join Abraham Accords & deport Palestinian terrorists in historic meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Wednesday, marking the first time an American president has met with a Syrian president in 25 years.

While Israel has signaled its opposition to granting legitimacy to Syria's new government, Trump pointedly called Sharaa to make peace with the Jewish state and to deport Palestinian terrorists from his country.

The closed-door meeting came before a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the capital Riyadh, where Trump and Sharaa were joined by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

One day earlier, Trump declared that U.S. sanctions on Syria, which were left over from the days of the Assad regime, would be lifted. He also mentioned that the decision came at the request of MBS and Erdoğan, adding that it would give Syria “a chance at greatness.”

#فيديو_واس pic.twitter.com/Q96o540hxZ

— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) May 14, 2025

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Erdoğan praised Trump’s decision and “committed to working alongside Saudi Arabia to encourage peace and prosperity in Syria.”

She said that MBS also commended Trump for his “courageous” decision.

Trump, said Leavitt, stressed that Sharaa now has a “tremendous opportunity to do something historic,” and urged him to take additional action.

“Sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel; Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria; Deport Palestinian terrorists; Help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS; Assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria,” she said.

لقاء يجمع سمو #ولي_العهد والرئيس الأمريكي والرئيس السوري.#واس pic.twitter.com/2Xi9GCfEJj

— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) May 14, 2025

U.S. State Department spokesman Michael Mitchell told Sky News Arabia the U.S. wants a new Syrian government that represents all Syrians, regardless of religion and origin, that will act responsibly without posing a danger to its neighbors.

Mitchell also said the destruction of the remaining chemical weapons and preventing ISIS from re-emerging were additional key points in the talks.

According to Leavitt, al-Sharaa thanked Trump, MBS and Erdoğan for organizing the meeting.

Al-Sharaa “recognized the significant opportunity presented by the Iranians leaving Syria, as well as shared U.S.-Syrian interests in countering terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons,” she said.

כפי שהאיר ידידי @kaisos1987: פגישה ראשונה בין נשיאי ארה"ב וסוריה מזה 25 שנה, מאז הנשיא קלינטון פגש את אסד האב במצב סופני בז'נבה https://t.co/uwjWnRGD7M pic.twitter.com/wiRHUfJJ81

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) May 14, 2025

In a crucial point for Israel, she noted that the Syrian leader “affirmed his commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Israel.”

“President al-Sharaa concluded with his hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas,” she said, adding, “The Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza were also discussed.”

The Trump-Sharaa meeting is a major turning point in U.S. policy toward Syria, which, over the past decades, served as a central cog in the Iranian proxy network under the Assad dictatorship.

سمو #ولي_العهد ورئيس الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ورئيس الجمهورية السورية يعقدون لقاءً حول مستقبل الأوضاع في سوريا.https://t.co/31pVJ59Sdc #الرئيس_الأمريكي_في_المملكة | #واس pic.twitter.com/N2cz2AxDtm

— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) May 14, 2025

Al-Sharaa led a coalition of mostly Islamist and jihadist groups, many of whom were designated terror organizations, in overthrowing the Assad regime last December.

Since then, he has visited several regional countries, as well as France, to gain political recognition and support for the restoration of the war-torn country.

However, Israel has warned about al-Sharaa's deep ties to international jihadist groups, including stints with al-Qaeda and ISIS, before turning against them.

At the GCC summit, Saudi leader MBS again praised the lifting of U.S. sanctions, telling Trump, “We are aware of the magnitude of the challenges facing our region and we strive with you and with our GCC brothers to deescalate tensions in the region and to stop the war in Gaza and to find a permanent and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian crisis.”

“We stress our support to ending conflicts through peaceful means,” he added.

In addition to MBS, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed al-Nahyan, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and Oman’s deputy prime minister were in attendance.

Bilateral trade between the U.S. and the GCC nations stood at over $180 billion in 2024.

Trump’s Middle East trip will continue with a visit to Qatar later on Wednesday, before he flies to Abu Dhabi to meet the UAE leaders on Thursday.