Trump praises Syrian President al-Sharaa after offensive against SDF 

US President Donald Trump has said he is “very happy” with developments in Syria, after a Syrian army offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), previously backed by Washington.

Trump made the comments after a call with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, before the Syrian leader’s departure for Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I had a great conversation with the highly respected president of Syria, and all of the things having to do with Syria and that area,” Trump told reporters.

“It’s working out very well, so we’re very happy about it,” the US president said.

A statement from the Syrian presidency said that al-Sharaa had emphasised to Trump “Syria’s full commitment to its territorial integrity and its national sovereignty and the state’s keenness to preserve its institutions and promote civil peace”.

Al-Sharaa also spoke about the importance of unifying international efforts to prevent the return of “terrorist groups”, including ISIL (ISIS), the statement said.

Trump later told Fox News that he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “solved a tremendous problem in conjunction with Syria”, without providing further details.

The SDF said on January 18 that its forces had withdrawn from the northeastern Syrian cities of Raqqa and Deir Az Zor, following the Syrian army’s offensive. The announcement was met with mixed reactions from the cities’ residents.

The White House had long backed the SDF in Syria, but US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said last week that the role of the Kurdish-led group as the “primary anti-ISIS force on the ground” had “largely expired”, with the Syrian government taking on security responsibilities in the country.

The US envoy said that Syria’s situation has “fundamentally” transformed, with Damascus joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS as its 90th member in late 2025.

Washington’s change in position regarding the SDF was initially met with some questions from within Trump’s Republican Party, with Senator Lindsey Graham having said the US should reimpose sanctions on Syria in response to the recent offensive.

However, Graham has since credited Trump with restoring stability in Syria.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Putin will hold talks with al‑Sharaa in Moscow on Wednesday.

“It is planned to discuss the state and prospects of bilateral relations in various areas, as well as the current situation in the Middle East,” the Kremlin said.