The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed Alsharaa would mark a “historic” and “very significant” moment in US-Syria relations, says TRT World Editor-at-Large Yusuf Erim.
“I had a feeling sooner or later Trump was going to reach out to the Syrian president Ahmed Alsharaa,” Erim said, calling it the first direct engagement between the two nations’ leaders in over 25 years.
“That in itself is historic,” he said, highlighting a major shift in Washington’s approach to the Middle East.
Erim said Trump is moving away from the proxy-based strategies of previous administrations and instead opting for direct regional influence through allies like Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
“We’re seeing quite a restructuring of US policy in the Middle East and we’re seeing it most evidently in Syria,” he said.
Reflecting on the last decade of US involvement in Syria, Erim was critical of the Obama-era policies, which he said were largely inherited by both Trump’s first administration and the Biden presidency.
“America was working more with proxies in the region. Some of those proxies [were] very hostile to its NATO ally Türkiye, most namely the YPG,” he said, contrasting that with Türkiye’s proactive support for the Syrian opposition, which culminated in the rise of Alsharaa.
The Russian president pointed to Istanbul as a potential venue for “direct talks” with Kiev. The Ukrainian leader swiftly responded by proposing a face-to-face meeting. Will the twain meet?
Regional heavyweights
Trump’s reliance on regional heavyweights like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a calculated move, Erim said.
“Trump is smart enough to say, ‘Hey, I need that local know-how, I need that local influence, and I have two allies who can really impact Syria. Let me work with them here’.”
The lifting of sanctions on Syria has been another game-changing move, Erim said. “It’s a fresh start for Syria with a fresh administration, a fresh mindset and a society that wants to move forward from its past.”
Beyond Syria, Erim said Trump is aiming to take a more balanced role in other regional flashpoints, including Lebanon and Gaza.
“Trump has shown that he will try to be as just as possible. He will try to be as neutral as possible,” he said, pointing to the cool distance in Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as evidence of a more measured US stance.
“The most important [thing] will be how the US sits at the table with Israel ... being able to bring Israel back from this brink of war, regional war, back to the diplomatic table and say, ‘Hey, listen, we need to find a resolution on Gaza, we need to stop this cross-border bombing with Lebanon, we need some form of normalisation’.”
Erim also suggested that Trump’s broader regional ambitions could include a revival of the Abraham Accords. “I think Trump’s real desire is to return back to the Abraham Accords, which is a possibility, but not at the current dynamics, not with the current atmosphere—that needs to change.”
Erim further pointed to growing US-Türkiye cooperation beyond the Middle East, referencing an expected high-level Ukraine-Russia meeting in Istanbul.
“We’re seeing a golden age right now for US-Türkiye relations,” he said, crediting the personal rapport between Trump and Erdogan for unlocking progress on long-stalled global issues.
