US President Donald Trump is planning to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, a landmark engagement hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmaמ. The talks, marking the first direct US-Syria contact since al-Sharaa's rise to power, come as Syria's new leader dangles investment prospects – including a Trump Tower in Damascus – to secure relief from crippling US sanctions.
"US President Donald Trump has agreed to say hello to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a White House official said on Tuesday," the White House said in a statement. The meeting was first reported by Axios.
The meeting, as part of Trump's Middle East tour, could be a lifeline for Syria's fledgling regime, which ousted Bashar Assad in a swift December offensive led by al-Sharaa's Islamist group, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Video: Trump received in elaborate ceremony at Saudi royal court. Credit: Reuters
Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the name he adopted while being a jihadist fighting the old regime), still has an official US terrorist designation. He is set for high-level talks with President Trump on Tuesday in Riyadh, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman playing host to the controversial summit, according to The Telegraph. This unexpected diplomatic encounter, scheduled for the second day of Trump's Middle East visit, potentially represents a crucial lifeline for Syria's newly established regime.
The 42-year-old Syrian ruler has reportedly dangled lucrative investment possibilities before Trump, including the construction of a signature Trump-branded skyscraper in Damascus, while simultaneously pushing for relief from crippling US sanctions, The Telegraph has learned. The scheduled meeting has likely raised alarm bells in Israel, where officials have consistently characterized al-Sharaa as a "terrorist in a suit," reports from The Telegraph indicate.
Al-Sharaa's path to power came through his leadership of the Islamist rebel organization Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which executed a lightning-fast seizure of control across Syria last December, toppling longtime dictator Bashar Assad and bringing an end to a devastating 13-year civil conflict. The Syrian leader, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, aligned himself with al-Qaida in Iraq shortly before the 2003 US invasion and spent three years battling coalition forces as part of the insurgency movement.
The Syrian leader's personal history includes five years of imprisonment after American forces captured him, followed by a brief affiliation with the Islamic State, before he publicly renounced the group and later rejected jihadism altogether, The Telegraph reported. This dramatic transformation from battlefield insurgent to political leader represents one of the most remarkable trajectories in modern Middle Eastern politics.
President Trump's Riyadh agenda also features meetings with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and newly appointed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, according to diplomatic sources cited by The Telegraph. The inclusion of al-Sharaa among these established regional figures signals a potential shift in US policy toward the new Syrian regime.
The proposed Trump Tower Damascus would stand as a powerful symbol of American business interests returning to Syria after years of sanctions and isolation, though details about the potential development remain scarce in reports from The Telegraph. Economic analysts suggest such a high-profile investment could trigger a wave of additional foreign capital entering the Syrian market.
