ISTANBUL

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump, the Syrian presidency said in a statement.

Earlier, a White House official said that Trump had agreed to meet with al-Sharaa during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Trump said during the 2025 Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh that he would order the removal of “brutal and crippling” US sanctions on Syria to give that country “a chance at greatness.”

Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, beginning a Gulf tour that will include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—his first major international trip since taking office.

Syria’s new administration is calling for comprehensive international and regional support to help the country recover from the legacy of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Following the regime’s downfall, the transitional government has emphasized that existing US and European Union sanctions hinder reconstruction efforts.

Though the US and EU have previously eased some sanctions on specific sectors, this would mark the first comprehensive rollback since 2011.

A new transitional administration was formed in Syria in January following the fall of the Assad regime.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963.