Donald Trump is ready and poised to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine after sensationally lifting sanctions on Syria.

An extraordinary 24-hours in the Middle East saw the US president meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa who was, until recently, a jihadi Islamist with a £10million bounty on his head.

In an historic meeting – the first between an American and Syrian president in 25 years – Mr Trump lifted strangulating penalties and said economic freedom “gives them a chance for greatness”.

Former al-Qaeda fighter al-Sharaa, who once battled American forces in Iraq, was imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghraib American military jail in Iraq between 2006 and 2011.

But the reformed military leader, who led the insurgency against dictator Bashar al-Assad forcing him to flee in December, is now promoting peace across the Middle East.

At their 33-minute face-to-face meeting at the Gulf Cooperation Council Leaders’ meeting at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mr Trump said: “They were really crippling, very powerful.

“We will be dropping all of the sanctions on Syria which I think will be a good thing.”

Mr Trump urged al-Sharaa to normalise relations with Israel and hopes Syria will play a pivotal role in trade between the Middle East and the West and said he wanted to strike a deal with Iran and ultimately create a thriving Middle East.

All eyes have now turned to Istanbul where Ukraine and Russia are set to meet for talks on ending their three-year cross border war.

While travelling from Riyadh to Doha for a state visit to Qatar Mr Trump said he is willing to immediately head to Turkey if Vladimir Putin also attends.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to be present at the talks, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he will be waiting for Putin, but it remains unclear whether the Russian president will show up.

Mr Trump said he does not know if Putin would attend “if I’m not there”, adding: “I know he would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that.”

Russia has repeatedly rejected calls by America and Europe for an unconditional ceasefire, but indicated it would participate in talks without preconditions. Who will represent Moscow remains unclear.

Ukraine, along with its “Coalition of the Willing” European allies, has demanded a truce before negotiations start. The Kremlin refused and instead indicated it would participate in direct negotiations instead.

European leaders including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said failure to adhere to a ceasefire would see Russia slapped with further sanctions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel for the summit, saying: “Overall, we’re determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all.”

Since its “special military operation” invasion in 2022 Russian forces have taken around one-fifth of Ukraine in Europe’s biggest conflict since the Second World War.

Kyiv has refused to concede any territory to Russia as part of a peace deal, including Crimea which is regarded as occupied Ukrainian territory, while Moscow wants assurances its neighbour will not join the Nato military alliance with the encroachment to its border having angered Putin.

Putin took charge of Russia when former President Boris Yeltsin stepped down on New Year’s Eve in 1999 with his parting instruction to his successor, then Prime Minister, being: “Take care of Russia!”

President Trump said he was optimistic about the prospect of talks, saying there is “the potential for a good meeting”.

Zelensky has ratcheted up the pressure on Putin saying: “We await a full and lasting ceasefire to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings.

“And I will be waiting for Putin in Turkey. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”

Mr Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia secured £600billion in deals with the Saudi government. Before he left, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stood on the tarmac to wave Mr Trump goodbye.

Hours later he received the red carpet treatment in Qatar, where the US has its largest military base in the region, and held meetings with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

The visit came after he accepted a £300million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet “palace in the sky” from the Qatari royal family – the most expensive received by a foreign leader – to replace America’s ageing Air Force One.

Mr Trump had complained about the state of the two presidential planes he uses, which have been flying for nearly 40 years.