On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia sought to restore his global image after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and deepen ties with Washington, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
During his first visit to the White House in over seven years, the Crown Prince was greeted with lavish pomp and ceremony led by Trump on the South Lawn, including a military honor guard, a cannon salute, and a flyover by US military aircraft.
Talks between the two leaders are expected to advance security ties, civil nuclear cooperation, and multi-billion dollar business deals with the kingdom. But there is unlikely to be any significant breakthrough in normalizing Saudi Arabia's ties with Israel, despite pressure from Trump for such a landmark move.
The publication adds that the meeting underscores a key relationship – between the world's largest economy and a leading oil exporter – which Trump has prioritized in his second term, as international outrage over the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider turned critic, gradually fades.
US intelligence concluded that bin Salman approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Crown Prince denied ordering the operation but accepted responsibility as the kingdom's de facto ruler.
Bin Salman's warm reception in Washington is the latest sign that relations have recovered from the deep strain caused by Khashoggi's murder.
Trump greeted bin Salman with a smile and a handshake on the red carpet, with dozens of military personnel lining the perimeter. A limousine was escorted down the South Drive by a US Army mounted honor guard. The two leaders then looked skyward as fighter jets roared overhead before Trump ushered his guest inside.
Before sitting down for talks, the two leaders chatted amiably as Trump gave bin Salman a tour of the presidential portraits lining the wall near the Oval Office.
Throughout the day of White House diplomacy, bin Salman will hold talks with Trump in the Oval Office, have lunch in the Cabinet Room, and attend a black-tie official dinner in the evening, giving him many of the trappings of a state visit. US and Saudi flags are adorned on lampposts outside the White House.
According to Reuters, Trump expects to build on Saudi Arabia's $600 billion investment pledge made during his visit to the kingdom in May, which will include announcements of dozens of targeted projects, a senior US administration official said.
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Addendum
The US and Saudi Arabia were poised to strike deals on Tuesday for defense sales, enhanced civil nuclear cooperation, and multi-billion dollar investments in US artificial intelligence infrastructure, an official said on condition of anonymity.
Trump told reporters on Monday, "We will be selling" F-35s to Saudi Arabia, which has requested to buy 48 of the advanced aircraft.
This would be the first US sale of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and would mark a significant policy shift. The deal could alter the military balance in the Middle East and test Washington's definition of preserving what the US calls "Israel's qualitative military edge." Until now, Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to possess F-35s.
In addition to military equipment, the Saudi leader is seeking new security guarantees. Most experts expect Trump to issue an executive order creating a defense pact similar to the one he recently concluded with Qatar, but still falling short of a NATO-style, Congress-ratified treaty that the Saudis initially sought.