Trump was set to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime insurgent who last year led the overthrow of former leader Bashar Assad. He said the effort at rapprochement came at the urging of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi de facto ruler, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump announced he will lift sanctions on Syria ahead of his expected meeting in Saudi Arabia with the country’s new leader. "I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in remarks at a Saudi-hosted investment forum on Tuesday evening.

US President Donald Trump is set to meet Syria's newly appointed leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to White House officials. The meeting is a major development that comes after Sharaa’s rebel group overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December,