The sanctions were really crippling,” President Trump said, before he traveled to Qatar, where he was given a lavish welcome.

P resident Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, May 13, that he plans to end the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which have been in place for over 45 years. Announcing the news on the first day of his Middle East tour, during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, Trump said he would be lifting sanctions “in order to give them [Syria] greatness.”

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, a major U.S. policy shift ahead of an expected meeting with Syria's Islamist President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

President Trump, speaking in Saudi Arabia, said he will order the end of sanctions against Syria to normalize relations with its new government.

The U.S. has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, the White House announced Tuesday, as President Donald Trump kicked off his Middle East trip in Riyadh. Described by the Trump administration as "the largest defense cooperation agreement" in history,

President Trump arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first major foreign trip of his second term, where he was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump is also scheduled to travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during the trip.