President Trump Hosts Landmark Talks with Syrian and Saudi Leaders on Middle East Peace and Global Security

May 14, 2025: In a significant diplomatic development, U.S. President Donald Trump convened high-level talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The trilateral meeting also included a virtual participation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, underscoring the international weight of the discussions.

The leaders addressed two major global crises — the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza — with a shared focus on peacebuilding and regional cooperation. President Trump used the occasion to urge Syria to join the Abraham Accords, a normalization agreement with Israel aimed at fostering peace in the Middle East.

In a key diplomatic gesture, Trump was praised by President Erdogan for his recent decision to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, a move the Turkish leader described as “bold and constructive.” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman echoed the sentiment, calling the decision “courageous.”

In return, Trump expressed gratitude to both Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their “friendship and support,” and told Syrian President Al-Sharaa he had a “tremendous opportunity” to lead Syria toward stability and historical transformation.

Trump further encouraged Al-Sharaa to:

• Join the Abraham Accords with Israel
• Expel all foreign terrorists from Syrian territory
• Deport Palestinian terrorist factions
• Support U.S. efforts to prevent the resurgence of ISIS
• Take full responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, President Al-Sharaa acknowledged the importance of the moment, particularly in light of Iranian forces withdrawing from Syria. He also highlighted shared U.S.-Syrian interests in combating terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons.

Al-Sharaa reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, originally brokered to stabilize the region following the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He expressed hope that Syria could become a “critical trade link between East and West”, and extended an invitation to American businesses to invest in Syria’s oil and gas sector.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry shared images of the historic meeting on social media, captioning: “A meeting brings together HRH the Crown Prince, the U.S. President, and the Syrian President in Riyadh, with the Turkish President participating via phone.”

President Trump is currently on a four-day tour of the Gulf, marking his first state visit since resuming office in January. The itinerary includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This trip follows his second foreign visit as president, after attending Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome earlier in April.

The Riyadh summit signals a potential new chapter in Middle Eastern diplomacy, positioning the U.S. at the center of renewed peace-building efforts and strategic realignments in a volatile region.