Senior officials of the Trump administration meet with the President of Syria.

After the Trump administration issued the order to begin relaxing sanctions on Syria, the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syrian Affairs, Barak, met with Syrian President Shala. Barak stated in a statement that this "historic" meeting was held at the direction of US President Trump, with the goal of "providing a path for peace and prosperity in Syria." The envoy said that both countries would take action to leave the sanctions behind and "quickly advance investments, development, and create a new, friendly global brand for Syria." Sources said that Trump unexpectedly announced the lifting of sanctions earlier this month during his trip to the Middle East, leading officials to hastily implement this decision. The US Treasury Department stated yesterday that some initial steps have been taken to ease the existing sanctions.