In a surprising diplomatic move, U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting at the White House with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the acting leader of Syria, whose capture the U.S. had previously offered a $10 million reward for, the BBC’s Russian Service reported yesterday.
The White House confirmed that the talks took place without the presence of the press. Reuters reports that the visit was unusually low-key, with al-Sharaa entering the White House through a side entrance and departing the same way, avoiding any formalities or events at the West Wing.
No joint statements were made following the meeting.
This marks the first official visit by a Syrian leader to the U.S. in over two decades. The last high-ranking Syrian official to visit the White House was Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa in 1999, who participated in peace talks with Israel.
Ahead of the visit, the United Nations Security Council removed al-Sharaa from its sanctions list, where he had been since 2014 as a member of Syria's Al-Qaeda branch. The U.S. also rescinded its previously offered reward for his capture.
Following the Trump-al-Sharaa meeting, the U.S. Treasury Department partially suspended sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act for a period of 180 days. The Caesar Act, passed by Congress in 2019 and enforced starting in mid-2020, targets individuals and entities involved in supporting the Assad regime.
Earlier, Syria's foreign minister had lobbied at the U.S. Capitol for the full removal of these sanctions. American lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have indicated they are willing to reconsider these measures if Syria joins the coalition against ISIS and engages in security dialogues with Israel.
