Trump holds first-ever White House meeting with Syrian leader

President Donald Trump met Monday at the White House with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, marking the first visit by a Syrian leader to Washington.

The meeting focused on Syria joining the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, reopening the Syrian embassy in Washington, and expanding economic cooperation, including potential American investment and plans to lift Caesar Act sanctions.

Al-Sharaa and Trump also discussed integrating the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian Army and a potential security agreement between Syria and Israel to stabilize the border.

Ahead of the visit, the UN Security Council removed al-Sharaa from the terrorism blacklist, and the U.S. Treasury delisted him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, Axios has reported.

The White House kept the visit low-profile, with no formal Oval Office welcome or joint photos, signaling cautious diplomacy as the U.S. works to rebuild relations with Syria.