Trump meets Syrian president in Saudi Arabia

U.S. President Donald Trump began a meeting with Syria's president Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Reuters reports. 

The meeting comes after a surprise U.S. announcement that it would lift all sanctions on Syria.

Despite concerns within sectors of his administration over Syria's leaders' former ties to Al Qaeda, Trump said on Tuesday during a speech in Riyadh he would lift sanctions on Syria in a major policy shift, Reuters reported.

The U.S. president has agreed to ‘say hello’ to interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who will be in Riyadh for meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council, the White House said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan joined Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman virtually in the meeting, Turkey's Anadolu News Agency reported.

Ahmad al-Sharaa is a onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq, according to AP.