President Donald Trump is set to meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in a face-to-face with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by U.S. forces after being captured in Iraq.

U.S. President Donald Trump was set to meet Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a surprise announcement that the United States would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government despite lingering concerns about its leaders' former ties to Al Qaeda.

President Trump said Qatar is "giving us a gift" and "I could be a stupid person and say, oh no, we don't want a free plane."