One surprise announcement that President Trump made during his May 13 visit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was that the U.S. would be lifting sanctions against Syria. “After discussing the situation in Syria with the Crown Prince, your Crown Prince [applause], and also with President Erdogan of Türkiye, who called me the other day and asked for a very similar thing. … I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump told the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum 2025. The President announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be meeting with the new Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Türkiye later this week to further discuss their relations.