The EU confirmed it would follow suit, saying that it remains "committed to supporting a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition"
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| Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa SANA / AFP |
Britain removed sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday, a move coming one day after a similar move by the United Nations Security Council. The decisions precede the Syrian leader's next week Washington meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Also on Friday, the European Union confirmed it would follow suit, with the body's spokesperson saying that it remains "committed to supporting a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition to help build a better future for all Syrians."
The U.N. Security Council lifted punitive measures on Thursday, citing a lack of active ties between the al-Sharaa-led HTS and al-Qaeda.
On June 2025, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to do away with longstanding sanctions imposed on Syrian government architecture, while leaving in place those affecting the regime of deposed president Bashar al-Assad and other destabilizing actors.
The executive order terminates the national emergency declared by the US government in 2004 under Executive Order 13338, and revokes along with it the five executive orders that constitute the basis of that program, according to a senior Trump administration official.
