The Times: Syrian leader offers Trump Ukraine-style mineral deal, wants sanctions relief

The US President Donald Trump may ease sanctions against Syria after attempts by its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to offer concessions — a Ukrainian-style mineral deal and the construction of Trump Tower in Damascus.

This is reported by The Times newspaper, citing sources.

Ahmed al-Sharaaʼs team tried to arrange a meeting with President Trump during his visit to Saudi Arabia this week, but the White House said there would be no such meeting. There is no consensus among Trumpʼs advisers on whether such a meeting would be necessary.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and counterterrorism adviser Sebastian Gorka are skeptical. Former national security adviser Mike Waltz has also been cautious. At the same time, the president’s special representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s most trusted advisers, supports the idea of dialogue with Syria, understanding that Trump prefers business over war.

A few days before leaving for Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump said he was considering easing sanctions imposed during the Assad regime that block trade and banking in Syria in order to give the country a "fresh start".

"A lot of people have asked me about this because the sanctions that weʼve put in place are actually not allowing them to develop. So we want to see if we can help them in any way, and weʼll make a decision on that," Trump said.

Last week, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who helped lift UN travel restrictions, and suggested that the EU could gradually lift sanctions if the new regime follows through on promises of reform.

According to the newspaperʼs defense sources, Ahmed al-Sharaa may propose starting negotiations on joining the Abraham Accords, agreements on normalizing relations between Arab countries and Israel. They were signed by the UAE and Bahrain. This is seen as a chance to distance Syria from Iranian influence.

The Syrian leader is also considering whether to agree to create a demilitarized zone or allow Israel to maintain its presence in southwestern Syria, where Israeli forces have established a buffer zone near the Golan Heights. The United States recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights (the Trump administration did this in 2019).

Trump is set to announce multibillion-dollar business deals during his Middle East trip, including a possible contract for telecommunications services for Syria from US company AT&T, as the administration is concerned that Syria may turn to China for infrastructure projects.

The overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria

On December 8, 2024, the Syrian opposition entered the Syrian capital, Damascus, and overthrew the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power for 24 years. Assad himself fled to Moscow.

Syrian rebels formed a transitional government, led by Muhammad Bashir, who led the "Salvation Government" — a political structure created in 2017 in territories controlled by the Syrian opposition, primarily in the province of Idlib.

The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group, Ahmad al-Sharaa, became the new president of Syria in January 2025. He has repeatedly stressed that the country is exhausted by war and poses no threat to either its neighbors or the West. He calls for the lifting of international sanctions on Syria, as they were imposed against the already overthrown regime of Bashar al-Assad.

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