Trump says he is mulling lifting US sanctions on Syria, hopes for 'fresh start' with Damascus

President Donald Trump said Monday that he is considering the removal of US sanctions on Syria, as he wants to create a "fresh start" for Damascus, Report informs via Anadolu Agency.

Trump said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan requested that he lift US economic penalties on Syria, and acknowledged ongoing discussions with Ankara over the situation in the country after December’s ouster of the Assad regime.

"We're going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start. But President Erdogan has asked me about that, many people have asked me about that," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"The way we have them sanctioned, it doesn't really give them much of a start. So we want to see if we can help them out. So we'll make that determination," he added.