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The United States will appoint Thomas Barrack, the current U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and longtime friend of President Donald Trump, as special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Türkiye told Reuters.
The move comes on the heels of President Trump's unexpected announcement last week that he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, signaling a major shift in American foreign policy toward the war-torn nation.
When asked about the appointment, a State Department spokesperson told reporters: "There is no announcement at this time."
The decision reflects Washington's apparent recognition of Türkiye's growing influence in Damascus following the December ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces, which ended a devastating 14-year civil war.
In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had authorized Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to collaborate with Syrian officials to assess humanitarian and development needs.
"We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilize the entire region," Rubio said.
Türkiye's foreign ministry confirmed that a U.S.-Turkish meeting centered on Syria took place Tuesday in Washington with Barrack in attendance. The ministry stated that sanctions relief and counterterrorism efforts were among the topics discussed.
Until Trump's recent declaration ordering "the cessation of sanctions," the United States had pursued a more cautious, step-by-step approach to easing restrictions on Syria. The president said his decision was intended to give Syria an opportunity to recover from its prolonged conflict, citing discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Türkiye President Tayyip Erdogan as influential in his decision-making process.
The sanctions relief would remove barriers that have isolated Syria from the global financial system, potentially enabling greater involvement from humanitarian organizations and facilitating foreign investment crucial for rebuilding efforts.
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