Al-Monitor’s State Department Correspondent Elizabeth Hagedorn reports from Riyadh on day one of President Donald Trump's trip to the Gulf, starting in Saudi Arabia. Be sure to follow Al-Monitor's live updates and in-depth coverage all week as Trump tours Saudi Arabia,

U.S. President Donald Trump began a meeting with Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to a Washington Post pool report, after a surprise U.S. announcement it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.