US and Saudi Arabia in talks over possible defense pact
Kyiv • UNN
Washington and Riyadh are negotiating a strategic defense agreement that could be concluded during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House in November. Saudi Arabia is interested in guarantees similar to the US agreement with Qatar, which considers an attack on Qatar a threat to the US.
Washington and Riyadh are currently discussing a strategic defense agreement. The agreement could be concluded during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House in November. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Financial Times.
Details
Saudi Arabia is apparently negotiating a defense agreement with the US. Earlier, months of negotiations between the Gulf state and the Biden administration were interrupted by the tragic events in Gaza.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Washington next month. This will be his first visit to the country since 2018. The previous one also took place during Donald Trump's presidency.
The Financial Times refers to information from a high-ranking official of the US President Donald Trump's administration. The following is currently known.
Discussions are ongoing about signing something when the Crown Prince arrives, but the details are still unclear." According to the report, the discussed agreement is similar to the recent pact between the US and Qatar. It classifies any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the US.
Addition
Saudi Arabia is interested in guarantees similar to the US agreement with Qatar. The country remains one of the main clients of the American arms industry.
We should also add that on September 17, Saudi Arabia signed a "strategic mutual defense" pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan. This happened against the backdrop of events in the Persian Gulf related to the Israeli attack. Nevertheless, Riyadh is acting in the context of US efforts to normalize relations between the Saudi Arabian leadership and Israel.
We should add that last May, the White House announced an agreement to supply weapons to the kingdom worth $142 billion. This is twice Saudi Arabia's defense budget for 2024, notes the Financial Times.
Recall
OPEC+ countries agreed to increase oil production by 137,000 barrels per day from November to restore market share. According to the publication's sources, Saudi Arabia would prefer to double, triple, or even quadruple this figure - even to 548,000 barrels per day. The Middle Eastern country has spare capacity and wants to regain market share faster.
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