Jolani reportedly offers Trump ‘Ukraine-style’ mineral deal for Syria

According to a report in the British newspaper The Times, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani (Ahmed Shara), the leader of the HTS administration in Syria, will offer concessions to US President Donald Trump, including granting American companies permission to exploit natural resources under a “Ukraine-style” mineral deal.

As part of his proposal to the US president, conveyed through intermediaries including senior officials in Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, Jolani even raised the possibility of constructing a Trump Tower in the capital, Damascus.

The Times was informed that efforts were underway to arrange a meeting between Shara, designated a “terrorist” by the US, and Trump during the latter’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week, but the White House announced on Monday night that such a meeting would not take place.

Trump’s advisors were reportedly divided on whether direct talks would be wise during his intensive three-day Middle East visit, which is set to begin in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Trump is expected to meet with a group of regional leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Speaking at the White House shortly before departing for Saudi Arabia, Trump said he was considering easing US sanctions on Syria, remnants of the Bashar al-Assad era that hinder Syria’s trade and banking activities, to provide the country with a “new beginning.”

Trump stated, “We will have to make a decision on sanctions, we will most likely ease these sanctions. We are considering lifting the sanctions we have on Syria because we want to give them a chance for a new beginning. Turkish President Erdogan also asked me about this. Many people have asked me about this because the sanctions we have imposed do not give them much of a chance for a fresh start. So we want to see if we can help them, we will make that decision.”

Last week, Jolani met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had received an exemption from a UN travel ban for talks in Paris, and proposed a gradual lifting of EU sanctions on the condition that the new regime adheres to commitments of “inclusivity and reform.”

According to security sources cited by The Times, Jolani might offer to begin talks on joining the Abraham Accords, signed by the UAE and Bahrain to normalize relations between Arab countries and Israel.

The report suggests Jolani also appears willing to allow Israel, which occupied the Golan Heights in 1967 and subsequently established a buffer zone around them following Assad’s fall, to create a demilitarized zone in southwestern Syria or maintain a security presence in the area.

The Trump administration recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019.

It is understood that Shara has spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the possibility of a meeting with Trump.

However, there appears to be disagreement among Trump’s senior advisors on this matter. Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is among those who, while not hostile to the meeting, are cautious and might try to prevent it.

Gabbard, then a congresswoman, visited Syria in 2016, met with Assad, and returned calling for more dialogue.

Another figure skeptical of the meeting is Trump’s counter-terrorism advisor, Sebastian Gorka.

It is alleged that another pro-Israel advisor, former national security advisor and current nominee for UN ambassador, Mike Waltz, prevented Trump from being informed about the concessions Syria was prepared to make before Waltz was dismissed last month.

Waltz was dismissed in February after it was learned that he had secretly met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington and pressured Trump to comply with plans to bomb Iran.

Others, including the President’s special representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, are more amenable to a thaw in relations with Syria, according to The Times. They know how easily Trump sets aside protocol and tradition to make deals and that the US president prefers making money to fighting. Witkoff is one of the most trusted members of the inner circle.

Trump is expected to announce billions of dollars in business deals during his trip. Another source told The Times that these could include a telecommunications contract for US company AT&T with Syria, though this information has not yet been confirmed.

The Trump administration is concerned about Syria turning to China for infrastructure projects. The source stated, “Shara is looking east, to China, but of course, we want him to look west.”

Another US security source with close ties to the Middle East confirmed that the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords had been presented to the Jolani government through the mediation of the UAE.

Some members of the Trump administration, supported by Gulf countries, want to seize this opportunity to break Iran’s influence over Syria, a former backer of the Assad era.

The source said, “If you look at the structure of Ukraine’s mineral deal, this could be a template for Syria. If Syria joins the Abraham Accords and the US uses this as leverage to pull Syria further towards the West, that’s a possibility, and it has been discussed.”

The source added that Gulf countries support Trump’s diplomatic move and that Witkoff is trying to link deals related to Ukraine and the Middle East.

The source commented, “They love him [Witkoff] in the Gulf and Moscow because he doesn’t talk politics, he talks real estate. He talks business, and that’s what those guys like.”