WASHINGTON (AFP)

US President Donald Trump hailed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa after unprecedented talks at the White House Monday, saying Sharaa would rebuild the war-torn country.

Sharaa, whose forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the Middle Eastern country's independence in 1946.

The landmark visit to the Oval Office saw Trump saying he wanted Syria to become "very successful" after more than a decade of civil war and added that he believed Sharaa "can do it, I really do."

"He's a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place, and he's a tough guy," Trump told reporters after the meeting, which was closed to press.

"People said he's had a rough past, we've all had rough pasts...And I think, frankly, if you didn't have a rough past, you wouldn't have a chance."

Trump said Syria was a "big part" of his plan for a wider Middle East peace plan.

In dramatic scenes as the Syrian president left his meeting with Trump, Sharaa climbed out of his motorcade to greet crowds of supporters outside the White House, surrounded on all sides by bodyguards.

Syria's presidency said on X that Sharaa and Trump discussed the bilateral relationship, "the ways to strengthen and develop it, as well as a number of regional and international issues of common interest."

It published photos of Trump standing and shaking hands with a smiling Sharaa beside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

Other pictures showed the Syrian leader sitting opposite Trump with top US officials including Vice President JD Vance, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, and top US military officer Dan Caine.

Sharaa met Trump for the first time in Saudi Arabia during the US leader's regional tour in May. He was expected to seek US funds for Syria, which faces significant challenges in rebuilding after 13 years of devastating civil war.

After his arrival in Washington, Sharaa over the weekend met with IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva over possible aid.

The Syrian president has also been making diplomatic outreach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.