Trump Supports Syria After SDF Withdrawal and Sanctions Lift

President Donald Trump announced the resolution of a "tremendous problem" in Syria following a series of diplomatic calls and military shifts in late January 2026. Trump ended U.S. sanctions on Syria and expressed support for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led a national army offensive in early January to seize oil fields and border crossings in the north and east from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Following the offensive, the SDF withdrew from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor on January 18, leading to a fragile ceasefire. U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack stated that the SDF's role as the primary anti-ISIS force had "largely expired," with al-Sharaa's government now assuming those responsibilities. To prevent escapes during the instability, the U.S. military transferred up to 7,000 Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq.

In a January 27 telephone call, Trump and al-Sharaa discussed Syria's transitional phase and the integration of the SDF into official state institutions. Trump signaled Washington's readiness to support economic reconstruction, while al-Sharaa reaffirmed Syria's commitment to national sovereignty. This diplomatic pivot aligned with the interests of Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan advocated for the ceasefire's implementation. Following these developments, President al-Sharaa traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations.