Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa arrives in Washington after US sanctions are lifted

Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa arrives in the United States

President of Syria Ahmed Sharaa arrived in Washington for an official visit, just two days after the US formally removed his status as a «specially designated global terrorist».

Former Islamist commander to hold talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday - eleven months after his forces toppled the regime Bashar al-Assad.

Topic of the meeting: fighting the remnants of ISIS

On the eve of the visit, the Syrian special services reported detention of 71 suspected Islamic State militants«, and the seizure of weapons and explosives.

It is expected that Joint action against ISIS will be one of the main topics of talks between Sharaa and Trump. Washington believes that eliminating the remnants of terrorist cells can become the basis for Restoring stability in Syria.

From isolation to diplomacy

Since coming to power, Ahmed Sharaa has sought to to return Syria to the international arena after 13 years of civil war and decades of isolation under the Assad regime.

In September, he spoke at the UN General Assembly, in which he stated that Syria was «regaining its rightful place among the nations of the world» and called on the international community to lift economic sanctions.

This week. UN Security Council supported the US resolution to partially lift restrictions, which coincided with the phased easing of US sanctions against the new government in Damascus.

Sharaa's past: from militant to president

Before coming to power, Ahmed Sharaa was known as Muhammad al-Julani - former leader of the group «Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has long been associated with al-Qaeda.

Later, he severed his ties with the terrorist network, declaring his intention to to turn Syria into a moderate state, The Centre is a unique organisation capable of uniting different ethnic and religious groups.

In the past, Sharaa was imprisoned by the US military and was on the US sanctions list with a bounty of $10 million on his head.

However, in early 2025, Washington lifted sanctions against HTS, recognising «significant progress in the fight against extremism».

Political challenges

Despite the support of some governments that previously opposed the Assad regime, Sharaa faces internal ethnic conflicts.

In the southern provinces, the following are ongoing Clashes between Bedouin and Druze units, The new government's ability to bring stability to a country torn apart by war for more than a decade is in doubt.