President Donald Trump has met with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. It's the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.

President Trump met Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and urged him to sign a peace deal with Israel, the White House said in a statement. Why it matters: The extraordinary meeting in Riyadh between Trump and al-Sharaa — who remains on the U.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's leaders played a key role in convincing Trump to lift sanctions on Syria and meet with al-Sharaa.

During the second day of Trump's Middle East trip, he announced a major deal between Boeing and Qatar Airways and signed an agreement with Qatar; he also met with Syria's interim president.