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DAMASCUS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that the United States has adopted the policies of threats, imposing sanctions and supporting terrorism, according to presidential media office in Syria.

His remarks were made during his meeting with the Richard Black, a member of the Virginia State Senate, who has arrived in Damascus for the meeting with Assad.

The meeting touched upon the latest developments and the policies undertaken by the United States in the region.

Assad said that a change in the U.S. role toward achieving peace instead of continuing to inflame wars would be more beneficial for the United States and its people.

For his part, Black said the consecutive policies of the United States toward the Middle East have caused the people of the region to lose all trust in the U.S. policies.

The U.S. senator also expressed admiration of what he has seen in Syria in terms of the return of life to many places that had been liberated from the rebels, according to the report by the presidential media office.

The meeting comes at a time the administration of President Donald Trump is warning the Assad government against launching a massive offensive on the last major rebel stronghold in Idlib province in northwestern Syria.

The United States, Britain, and France have recently said the government forces in Syria were possibly planning a chemical attack in Idlib, a claim that has been completely slammed by Damascus and its allies of Russia and Iran.

The officials in Damascus and its allies said the provocations of the chemical weapons use are being planned by the rebels to justify a U.S. strike on Syria, accusing the Western countries of plotting to strike Syria under false claims.