Essayer OR - Gratuit

Trump Meets 'Attractive, Tough' New Leader of Syria After Lifting US Sanctions

The Guardian

|

May 15, 2025

Donald Trump met Syria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia yesterday, telling the former jihadist he had an "extraordinary opportunity".

- William Christou

The US president said Washington was exploring normalising ties with Damascus, a day after it was announced that all US sanctions on Syria would be lifted.

Trump met Sharaa - a former militant who fought against US forces in Iraq and had a $10m US bounty on his head until December 2024 - alongside the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for about half an hour before a conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as part of his four-day visit to the Middle East.

It was the first meeting between US and Syrian presidents for 25 years and a key milestone in Syria's reintegration into the international arena after the toppling of the Assad regime.

Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One after the meeting that the Syrian president was a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter."

In Syria, people watched the images of their president standing beside the leaders of the US and Saudi Arabia on their TV screens in amazement. For many, it was a sign that 15 years of international isolation might finally be coming to an end.

PLUS D'HISTOIRES DE The Guardian

The Guardian

Garnacho saves sorry Chelsea from shock defeat by Qarabag

Chelsea’s precision is nowhere to be seen when Enzo Maresca rings the changes.

time to read

3 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

Lights, camera, tax break The producer churning out flops funded by Treasury

Only the geekiest film buffs will have heard of Alan Latham, but he is one of the UK's most prolific movie producers.

time to read

4 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

Academics tell of 'heavy pressure' from China

UK academics whose research is critical of China say they have been targeted and their universities subjected to “extremely heavy” pressure from Beijing, prompting calls for a fresh look at the sector’s dependence on tuition fee income from Chinese students.

time to read

3 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

Lammy's luck is facing an opponent who can't count and has lost track of his gotcha moment

He had one job.

time to read

2 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

"The money you get in football means the parasites come'

The former West Ham, Chelsea and England footballer, a gifted maverick who always felt a man out of time, playing a game years ahead of most of his contemporaries, smiles when I ask how old he feels now: \"Forty-four. I'm 44 [this Saturday].

time to read

6 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

'A true champion' Hope overflows in New York as the outsider candidate claims victory

Zohran Mamdani's election downtown night party in Brooklyn on Tuesday night saw hundreds of his supporters erupt in applause as the democratic socialist from Queens was elected the next mayor of New York City.

time to read

4 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

Confusion at the gates Why system can't keep track of inmates

The mistaken release of a second foreign prisoner has forced ministers to once again revaluate their security and release procedures, and will once again shine a spotlight on the well-documented problems at HMP Wandsworth.

time to read

2 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

Lammy under pressure after two more prisoners mistakenly freed

David Lammy is under mounting pressure after two more prisoners, including a convicted foreign sex offender, were mistakenly freed days after the justice secretary introduced stringent checks for jails.

time to read

4 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

High-speed rail network could cover Europe by 2040, says EU

Breakfast in Berlin, lunch in Copenhagen, with a fast and easy train journey to pass the morning?

time to read

2 mins

November 06, 2025

The Guardian

The Guardian

Tale of two city mayors Mamdani joins Khan on divided world stage

While the soon-to-be first Muslim mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, was in the final throes of his mayoral campaign on a brisk day in New York, Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, was wrapping up a two-day climate summit in a steamy if overcast Rio de Janeiro.

time to read

4 mins

November 06, 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size