France's president said on Wednesday he would urge the EU to end sanctions on Syria when they come up for renewal in June and lobby the U.S. to follow suit as well as keep its troops there to ensure Syria's stability.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday, marking the first European visit for the former rebel.

Macron became the first European leader to speak with al-Sharaa in February and invited him to visit France during that phone call.