Trump to Lift Sanctions on Syria, Signaling Normalized Relations with New Gov't

TaiwanPlus News

U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a shifting of policy on Syria, announcing that he would lift long-standing sanctions on the country, following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Trump said the decision was made after discussions with the Saudi crown prince and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump announced the sanctions relief while touring the Gulf States.

Transcript

00:00Cheers in Damascus as people celebrate what they hope marks the start of a new era.

00:08On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria

00:12after a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince.

00:16These sanctions, targeting the government of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad,

00:21had isolated the country for over a decade.

00:24I thank Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman,

00:29and all the Saudi people for this moment of chivalry.

00:32Their support has been with us from the day we began the revolution until now.

00:38A million thanks.

00:39Trump said the decision was made due to a recent change of leadership in the civil war-torn country.

00:45In December 2024, current Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa led an offensive that overthrew the Assad regime.

00:52There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.

01:00That's what we want to see in Syria.

01:02I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.

01:10The decision marks a major shift in U.S.-Middle East policy

01:13and signals a move towards normalizing relations with Syria's new government,

01:17a step welcomed by the United Nations.

01:20It was important for us to see relief on sanctions on Syria,

01:25to help the reconstruction of Syria,

01:28to help the Syrian people recover from more than a decade of conflict,

01:35a decade of under-investment.

01:37It comes during Trump's first state visit of his second term,

01:41a tour of Gulf states to discuss investment and foreign policy,

01:44where other major deals are being made.

01:46including a $142 billion U.S. arms deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia,

01:53the largest defense sales agreement in history, according to the White House.

01:58It includes plans for state-of-the-art weapons and services for air force advancement and air and missile defense.

02:04Trump is also expected to meet Syria's new president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

02:08Still, some observers are urging caution.

02:11You don't want to go whole hog in and invest in any particular regime because even though they've stayed for six months,

02:18there's no guarantee that they're going to continue beyond six months.

02:22There's so much sort of at stake and so much up in the air that things can change in really unpredictable ways.

02:30Trump will head to Qatar and the UAE next,

02:33where leaders are expected to discuss tech investment, manufacturing and military cooperation,

02:38further shifting dynamics in the Middle East.

02:41Patrick Chen and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.

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