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US: Trump announces Boeing secured major Qatar Airways order

Timothy Jones with AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa | Dmytro Hubenko with AP, DW sources
Published May 14, 2025last updated May 15, 2025

The US president made the announcement on the second stop of his Gulf tour. Earlier, he held a surprise meeting with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

https://p.dw.com/p/4uLv8
US President Donald Trump and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani gesture during a state dinner at Lusail Palace in Doha on May 14, 2025.
Trump said Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani reminded him of the Saudi crown prince, calling them both 'tall, handsome guys that happen to be very smart'Image: Alex Brandon/AP/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

US President Donald Trump says Qatar Airways has placed a "record" order for planes from Boeing.

He made the announcement after meeting  Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, in Doha. 

Trump's Qatar visit is the second destination of his Gulf tour, after a first stop in Riyadh, where he made a surprise announcement lifting sanctions on Syria and met the country's president.

This blog has been closed. Read below for a roundup of the events during Trump's Mideast tour and from the United States on May 14, 2025.

Skip next section Trump's visit to Qatar is a big turn, analyst says
May 15, 2025

Trump's visit to Qatar is a big turn, analyst says

Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at Johns Hopkins University, told DW that the first state visit by a US president to Qatar was "very significant." 

She stressed that Donald Trump accused Qatar of being a state funder of terrorism in 2017, so what we have today is "a big turn."

"What we're looking at is actually what is a good value and self-interest. And by self-interest I mean, yes, good for America... but also good for Trump, the Trump family," Blumenfeld said.

According to the analyst, Trump had three priorities, the first of which was investment. "Number two is energy, coordinating pricing with the United States. And finally, number three is stability," she added.

"There's an unstable region out there. We've got Libya, Sudan, of course, Gaza. And that's bad for business," she said, adding that Trump can coordinate and partner with Qatar and the other Gulf partners to create more stability.

'Impressive choreography' of Trump's Middle East trip

https://p.dw.com/p/4uOoM
Skip next section Syrian leader al-Sharaa urges investments and unity after Trump sanctions announcement
May 15, 2025

Syrian leader al-Sharaa urges investments and unity after Trump sanctions announcement

Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa called for investment in his country to advance reconstruction efforts and promote economic recovery.

In a televised address, al-Sharaa said that Syria should become a country of jobs and prosperity.

"Syria pledges to be a land of peace and joint action, and to be loyal to every hand extended to it in goodwill," the interim president said.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to national unity, vowing that his country would no longer allow itself to become a battleground of external conflicts.

US lifting sanctions against Syria a 'very positive move'

"Syria is for all Syrians, with all their sects and ethnicities, and for all who live on this blessed land," al-Sharaa said.

This statement came after his spontaneous meeting with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia. The day before, the US president had unexpectedly announced his intention to lift all sanctions against Syria.

https://p.dw.com/p/4uOoD
Skip next section Judge orders Georgetown scholar released
May 14, 2025

Judge orders Georgetown scholar released

A federal judge in Virginia ordered the immediate release of Georgetown academic Badar Khan Suri from ICE detention.

Masked, plain-clothed officers arrested the scholar from India on the evening of March 17 outside his apartment complex in Arlington, Virginia.

Immigration authorities accused him of having ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, but no evidence was provided to support their claims.

He has since been held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas.  

His attorneys had filed a petition against the Trump administration for wrongful arrest and detention in violation of the First Amendment and other constitutional rights.

US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria said she was releasing him while he awaits the outcome of his petition because she felt that Khan Suri had substantial constitutional claims against the Trump administration. 

https://p.dw.com/p/4uOc3
Skip next section US reportedly halts G20 engagement after Trump's South Africa remarks
May 14, 2025

US reportedly halts G20 engagement after Trump's South Africa remarks

The Washington Post reports that the White House National Security Council has directed United States agencies and departments to suspend participation in this year's G20 conference in South Africa.

On Monday, Donald Trump falsely claimed that South Africa was carrying out a "genocide" against white citizens and stated he would not attend the G20 leaders' meeting in Johannesburg unless the "situation is taken care of."

A small group of white South African "refugees," whom Trump believes have suffered under racist policies, also arrived in the US earlier this week.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the group had ostensibly left the country because they opposed policies aimed at addressing racial inequality that has persisted since the end of apartheid, or white minority rule, three decades ago.

"We think that the American government has got the wrong end of the stick here, but we'll continue talking to them," he said.

South Africa is the first African nation to lead the G20. Although Trump has repeatedly said he would boycott the summit later this year, U.S. officials had been participating in preparatory meetings until now.

The G20 is composed of 19 countries with the world's largest economies, along with the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU).

https://p.dw.com/p/4uOMk
Skip next section Qatar sign Boeing deal worth $200 billion
May 14, 2025

Qatar sign Boeing deal worth $200 billion

Qatar signed a deal to purchase 160 airplanes from US company Boeing worth  $200 billion (€178 billion).

The deal was announced while Donald Trump was visiting the Gulf country. The US president and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani witnessed the deal's signing ceremony in Doha.

Trump said Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who signed the deal with Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, told him "it's the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing, that's good."

It's unclear which Boeing models are included in the deal.

Qatar is Donald Trump's second stop in the Gulf after visiting Saudi Arabia, with a visit to the United Arab Emirates also being planned.

https://p.dw.com/p/4uNse
Skip next section Trump to 'possibly' attend Ukraine-Russia talks
May 14, 2025

Trump to 'possibly' attend Ukraine-Russia talks

US President Donald Trump said he might attend the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey

Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin would like him to attend the talks in person.

"I know he would like me to be there, and that's a possibility."

Trump is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, the last stop of his tour through the Gulf states, but the US leader said he could travel to Turkey anyway.

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't do it to save a lot of lives," Trump said.

https://p.dw.com/p/4uNXw
Skip next section Trump arrives in Qatar
May 14, 2025

Trump arrives in Qatar

President Donald Trump is greeted by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as he arrives Qatar on Wednesday, May 14. 2025
Qatar has been a key intermediary with Hamas, helping Washington negotiate directly the release this week from Gaza of US-Israeli joint national Edan AlexanderImage: Alex Brandon/AP Photo/picture alliance

US President Donald Trump has arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, on his second stop during his Gulf tour.

He was met at the airport by Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who gave him a red-carpet welcome.

Trump's visit comes amid some controversy at home over Qatar's offer of a $400 million (€356 million) luxury Boeing jumbo jet to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use.

Trump has insisted that the gift comes without strings and that it will be donated to his presidential library after his term ends, thus skirting constitutional rules on presents for US presidents. 

Former US presidents typically have a library containing an archive of their documents and a publicly accessible museum housing items related to their term in office.

Critics from the Democratic Party have, however, said accepting the plane, described by media outlet ABC as a "flying palace," would be "wildly illegal," and even some Trump allies have balked at the idea.

https://p.dw.com/p/4uMq2
Skip next section Trump calls on Iran to stop backing proxy groups as part of nuclear deal
May 14, 2025

Trump calls on Iran to stop backing proxy groups as part of nuclear deal

US President Donald Trump told Gulf leaders on Wednesday that Tehran must stop supporting proxy groups in the Middle East as part of a potential deal on winding down its nuclear program.

Although he said he urgently wants "to make a deal" with Iran, the country first had to "stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars and permanently and verifiably cease pursuit of nuclear weapons."

He also called on other nations to join the US "in fully and totally enforcing the sanctions that I just placed on Iran" while no deal is in place.

Trump made his remarks at a Riyadh meeting of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Washington and Tehran have already held four rounds of talks on Iran's nuclear program since early last month, with Trump warning, however, that time for a deal is running out.

Iran supports a number of proxy groups, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

 In Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump's remarks "deceitful" but gave no direct response to the call to cease support of proxy groups.
 

https://p.dw.com/p/4uMdJ
Skip next section Trump meets new Syrian leader, urges ties with Israel
May 14, 2025

Trump meets new Syrian leader, urges ties with Israel

Two men shaking hands in an ornate room
The US and Syrian leaders met in RiyadhImage: Bandar Al-Jaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Anadolu/picture alliance

US President Donald Trump has met with Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, saying that the encounter was urged by Saudi Crown Prince Mohanmmed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The meeting, which came a day after Trump announced he was lifting US sanctions on Syria, is the first such one in 25 years and represents a major turn of events for the Middle Eastern country after years of international exclusion and internal repression while under the rule of former dictator Bashar Assad.

According to the White House, Trump asked the Syrian leader to normalize ties with Israel by joining the so-called Abraham Accords signed by some Gulf Arab states and to deport Palestinian militants.
       
He also reportedly requested that the new Syrian authorities take control of camps holding captured "Islamic State" fighters, which are currently run by Kurdish guerrillas opposed by Ankara.

Al-Sharaa became Syria's interim leader after leading rebels in a December uprising that toppled autocrat Assad's government.

He was once imprisoned for years in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 US-led invasion of that country, having joined the ranks of al-Qaeda rebels under his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Golani. He broke his ties with the terrorist group in 2016.

The lifting of the sanctions on Syria was opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli officials speaking to The Associated Press.

Israel fears that Syria under its new government and leader with an Islamist past could pose a threat on its northern border.

For his part, Trump has said that lifting the sanctions would "give them [Syrians] a chance at greatness."

https://p.dw.com/p/4uMGG
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage
May 14, 2025

Welcome to our coverage

US President Donald Trump kicked off a four-day Middle East tour on Tuesday with a first stop in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

There, he signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, securing billions in investment.

In a major turnaround of US policy, he also announced that he was lifting sanctions imposed on Syria over its repression of civilians during the country's civil war from 2011 onward under the rule of former dictator Bashar Assad.

On Wednesday, he then met with Syria's interim leader, former insurgent Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq.

DW brings you running coverage of Trump's tour, which is also to take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but not Israel, raising fears there of a rift with the US.

Donald Trump skips Israel on Middle East tour

https://p.dw.com/p/4uLzr
Timothy Jones Writer, translator and editor with DW's online news team.
Dmytro Hubenko Dmytro covers stories in DW's newsroom from around the world with a particular focus on Ukraine.