What Did Trump Ask of the Syrian President During Their First Meeting in Riyadh?

In a highly anticipated diplomatic encounter, U.S. President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shar’a for the first time in Riyadh, where he presented a series of controversial demands aimed at reshaping Syria’s regional posture—chief among them: normalisation with the Israeli occupation.

According to an official White House statement, Trump “encouraged President Al-Shar’a to do great things for the Syrian people” and urged him to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered normalisation agreements through which the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco established ties with the Zionist entity in 2020.

Demands for Normalisation and Deportation

Trump also pushed Al-Shar’a to:

• • Prevent the resurgence of ISIS within Syria

• • Assume full responsibility for the detention centres in northeastern Syria housing thousands of ISIS fighters and their families

• • And most notably, expel Palestinian resistance factions from Syrian territory—labeling them as “Palestinian terrorists”

This last demand was widely viewed as a direct attack on the legacy of Syrian support for Palestinian resistance, particularly groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front – General Command, which have historically operated from Syria under decades of Assad rule.

Syrian Response and Economic Opening

In response, President Al-Shar’a extended an invitation to American companies to invest in Syria’s oil and gas sector, signaling a potential opening in economic ties following Washington’s announcement to lift sanctions on Damascus just one day before the meeting.

Photos of the encounter—published by Saudi state media—captured the momentous meeting that preceded the broader Gulf-U.S. summit in Riyadh.

Strategic Calculations Behind the Sanctions Relief

President Trump stated that normalisation with Syria begins with direct dialogue, and that removing sanctions was intended to “give Syria a fresh start.” The move is already being interpreted as part of Trump’s broader attempt to realign the region on his terms—potentially leaving behind Netanyahu’s failing strategy and opening space for American-led influence in Syria’s reconstruction phase.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also participated in the summit via video link, joining discussions with leaders from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

Syria Emphasises Sovereignty and Reconstruction

The Syrian Foreign Ministry later released a statement highlighting:

• • The necessity of lifting sanctions

• • The need to support Syria’s recovery and rebuilding process

• • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s endorsement of this path as essential for regional stability

• • Trump’s pledge of American backing during this “critical turning point”

According to the statement, Al-Shar’a expressed his gratitude for regional and international support, affirming that Syria is confidently moving toward the future.

Joint Anti-Terrorism Framework Discussed

Both sides also discussed Syrian-American cooperation in counterterrorism, with emphasis on combating:

• • Non-state actors

• • Foreign-backed armed militias

• • Remaining ISIS-affiliated networks

Syria emphasised that stabilising the region requires neutralising all armed non-Syrian factions operating within its borders.

A Follow-Up Meeting in the Works

The Syrian Foreign Ministry concluded by announcing that a follow-up meeting is scheduled between Syrian Foreign Minister As’ad Al-Shaybani and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aimed at strengthening bilateral coordination and advancing the agreements reached during the Riyadh summit.