US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was likely to remove Syria from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list, praising Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
“I think I will. Why wouldn’t I?” Trump said when asked whether he would remove Syria from the list.
“That’s a good question. Yeah, I will,” he added. Trump said al-Sharaa had done “a really fantastic job” and described Syria as “very stable.”
“It’s really been stabilized, and we’re proud of that,” he said.
.@POTUS meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa: "Syria had one of the great cultures — the professors and lawyers and doctors — it had one of the great cultures of any country, not just the Middle East, and then it went through this terrible period of time…. They're proud… pic.twitter.com/JWJJEjOdN9
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2026
The US State Department still lists Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a designation it has held since 1979.
The list currently also includes Cuba, North Korea and Iran. The designation brings various restrictions, including limits on US foreign assistance, defense exports and certain financial transactions.
Removing Syria from the list will mark a major shift in US policy toward Damascus as al-Sharaa’s government seeks international recognition and relief from sanctions after years of war and isolation.
Praise for Syrian leadership
Trump offered strong praise for al-Sharaa, crediting him with rapidly bringing the country together.
“He’s done a really fantastic job as president. He’s unified the country in a very short period of time,” Trump said, describing the Syrian leader as a “strong person” who is “respected by everybody.”
Al-Sharaa, a former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader, came to power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024 and has sought to reposition Syria diplomatically after more than a decade of civil war.
His government has pushed for the lifting of sanctions and for Syria’s reintegration into regional and international diplomacy.
Reflecting on Syria’s transition, Trump said the country had been a “real mess” and a “very disjointed place” before the new administration brought it together.
“We released sanctions from the country, which really, I think, was a big boost,” Trump said. “We’re proud of the job he’s doing.”
Trump’s remarks came as US lawmakers have also urged his administration to remove Syria from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, arguing that the designation no longer reflects the country’s new political reality.
Al-Sharaa also met with a bipartisan US congressional delegation and US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
It was a profound honor to welcome His Excellency President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Ankara today for a pivotal, high-level meeting with a bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation. Led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and including Senators Chris Coons, Mike Rounds, Dick Durbin, Lindsey… https://t.co/Izw8Le0UH5
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 8, 2026
Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said on X that it was “a profound honor” to welcome al-Sharaa to Ankara for what he called “a pivotal, high-level meeting” with a delegation led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and including Senators Chris Coons, Mike Rounds, Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham, as well as Rep. Michael Turner.
Barrack said the meeting reflected “the accelerating momentum toward a robust, new chapter in U.S.-Syria relations” and highlighted what he called Syria’s “central role in shaping the future of the Middle East.”
Thirteen years of war have devastated Syria, which needs international support to rebuild and still faces major security threats.
On Tuesday 18 people were wounded in two bomb attacks in Damascus near a hotel where visiting French President Emmanuel Macron was staying.
Al-Sharaa visited Washington in November of last year to seek financial support for Syria.
But last month he rejected calls from Trump to intervene militarily in neighboring Lebanon against the pro-Iranian group Hezbollah, which is in open conflict with Israel.
“We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones,” he said in an interview last month.
The Ankara meeting was part of a broader round of diplomacy on the sidelines of the NATO summit, where Trump also had talks with other leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.