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During surprise meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Trump lifts Syria sanctions, signs trillion-dollar deals, and fuels ethics debate over luxury jet gift
U.S. President Donald Trump recently visited Saudi Arabia, where he met with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. During their meeting, Trump urged Sharaa to consider making peace with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords — a 2020 agreement that saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco normalize ties with Israel. Trump announced that the U.S. would lift all sanctions on Syria, surprising many since Syria’s current leadership has links to extremist groups.
Sharaa, who took power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, was once part of a group tied to al Qaeda. Despite this history, Trump described him as “young, attractive,” and said he had a strong past. He added that Sharaa expressed interest in eventually joining the peace deal with Israel, although there is still work to be done.
Photos shared by Saudi state media showed Trump and Sharaa shaking hands in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump said the meeting went well and believes Sharaa has a real chance to bring stability to Syria.
After Saudi Arabia, Trump traveled to Qatar. There, he oversaw a major deal in which Qatar agreed to purchase jets from American company Boeing. The agreement is part of a larger $1.2 trillion package that also includes engines from GE Aerospace.
However, Trump avoided discussing a controversial offer from Qatar to donate a luxury Boeing jet to be used as the next Air Force One. The plane, worth $400 million, has raised concerns in Washington about national security and ethics. Some critics believe accepting such a gift from a foreign country could be a conflict of interest.
Despite the criticism, Trump defended the idea, calling it “stupid” to reject such a generous offer. He also brushed off concerns about conflicts between his role as president and his business ties. Trump’s real estate company is involved in several projects in the Gulf region.
Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, is trying to strengthen ties with Trump during his second term. In his first term, Trump sided with Qatar’s regional rivals — like Saudi Arabia and the UAE — when they accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and getting too close to Iran.
Trump and Qatar’s leader, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, also discussed global issues such as Iran and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump emphasized that the U.S. and Qatar have always had a special relationship.
While in Saudi Arabia, Trump also announced a massive $600 billion investment deal from the kingdom into the U.S., along with $142 billion in arms sales.
However, Trump’s trip has raised concerns in Israel. The Israeli government is unhappy with the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Syria, which Israel still sees as a hostile nation. Although Sharaa broke ties with al Qaeda in 2016, Israeli officials still view him with suspicion. Since Sharaa came to power, Israel has increased military strikes inside Syria.
Israel is also uneasy about the U.S. holding nuclear talks with Iran, another one of its main enemies. Trump’s decision to skip a stop in Jerusalem during this Middle East tour added to Israeli worries about its importance to the U.S.
Even so, Trump insisted that his connections in the region are good for Israel in the long run. By helping Syria improve relations with the West and its Arab neighbors, the U.S. hopes to limit the influence of Iran and Russia in the region.
Talks with Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords have stalled since the Gaza war. Saudi leaders continue to say they won’t normalize relations with Israel unless Palestinians are granted their own state.