US President Donald Trump yesterday prepared a lavish welcome for Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with the two sides expected to sign defense and nuclear deals during the latter’s first visit to the US since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump was expected to roll out the red carpet for the prince with a fly-by, cannon fire and a gala dinner — giving the prince the equivalent of a state dinner, even though he is not a head of state and is only the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Trump has made a priority of boosting ties with the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, and on Monday said he would sell coveted F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from Israel.
Photo: Reuters
In another area of past contention, he was to sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation, a source familiar with the negotiations said.
Trump would also push Prince Mohammad, commonly known as MBS, to normalize relations with Israel, as he seeks a wider Middle East peace deal after the war in Gaza.
“We’re more than meeting,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday when asked about the visit.
“We’re honoring Saudi Arabia, the crown prince,” he said.
The Saudi heir to the throne is looking forward to a fresh start on his first US trip since the murder of Washington Post columnist Khashoggi by Saudi agents sparked global outrage.
The killing also chilled relations with Washington, as US intelligence suggested the prince approved the operation inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, an allegation which Saudi authorities deny.
However, the 40-year-old prince has fostered close ties with Trump and his family over the years — a relationship burnished by a lavish welcome and US$600 billion in investment pledges when the US president visited Saudi Arabia in May.
Prince Mohammad will have his own agenda, seeking firmer US security guarantees after Israeli strikes in September on Qatar, an iron-clad US ally, rattled the wealthy Gulf region.
Along with the F-35 jets, Riyadh is seeking to buy advanced air and missile defense systems.
It would also push hard for access to the high-tech chips it needs to fuel artificial intelligence ambitions, experts said.
However, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalization with Israel at this stage, despite Trump’s aim for the grand prize of Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords that he launched in his first term.
“We have a lot of people joining the Abraham Accords and hopefully we are going to get Saudi Arabia very soon,” Trump said earlier this month.
Potential Saudi moves toward normalization in return for security and energy guarantees were put on hold after the outbreak of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza in October 2023.
Riyadh appears in no mood to budge without any progress on its international push for a Palestinian state.
Trump is also expected to attend today a US-Saudi investment forum spotlighting energy and artificial intelligence taking place in Washington.
His family also has extensive business ties with the Saudis.
The day before the prince’s visit, Saudi developer Dar Global announced a new partnership with the Trump Organization to build a luxury hotel in the Maldives.
Investors would be able to participate in its financing through digital tokens.
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