Trump meets Saudi Crown Prince MBS at White House: Key takeaways here

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman met Donald Trump at the White House after 7 years of being implicated in Khashoggi's murder

US President Donald Trump met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday (local time), in a visit that emphasised the deepening of ties between Riyadh and Washington.

 

This was the Saudi leader's first visit to the US in seven years after Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents, an operation that the US intelligence community later concluded was carried out on the crown prince's orders.

 

The meeting opened the door to discussions on multibillion-dollar business deals, civilian nuclear cooperation, and ongoing efforts to advance normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

 

Trump-MBS meeting significance

 

According to a report in TIME, Trump has maintained a strategic relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince, also known as MBS, despite the global condemnation against him over Khashoggi's killing.

 

At the same time, the crucial meeting between the two leaders comes amid the backdrop of the ceasefire announced in the two-year-long Israel-Gaza war, in which MBS presented himself as a key broker in the US-Middle East diplomacy. MBS cited his role in pushing for a Gaza ceasefire and his recent outreach to Iran, urging progress on a nuclear agreement with the Trump administration.

 

According to a Times of Israel report, Trump also recently urged MBS to normalise relations with Israel and expressed hopes that Riyadh would join the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020, during his first term.

 

During the meeting, MBS signalled his intent to sign the Abraham Accords, but did not give a timeline for a potential deal. Speaking to reporters, he said, "We believe having a good relationship with all Middle Eastern countries is a good thing, and we want to be part of the Abraham Accords". 

 

"But we also want to be sure that we secure a clear path [to a] two-state solution. And today we have a healthy discussion with Mr President that we’ve got to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible to have that," he added.

 

F-35 jets, nuclear cooperation

 

Before Trump met with the Saudi royal, he previewed the decision to sell F-35 fighter jets on Sunday. However, he formalised it before MBS, saying the approval was complete and that Israel’s concerns about maintaining its qualitative military edge in the Middle East would be addressed.

 

While the details of the deal were not clear immediately, reports suggest that some officials in the Pentagon and other agencies have opposed the sale, citing concerns that advanced technology could be shared with China, which also maintains close ties with Saudi Arabia.

 

The F-35 is widely recognised as the US' best and most advanced fighter jet. Described as a fifth-generation fighter, the F-35's technologies include stealth coatings along with advanced radar and sensors, according to the Congressional Research Service

 

Trump also said the US and Saudi Arabia would finalise a broader agreement on military and security issues during the visit, and that the US would move ahead with a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, a deal that has also prompted concerns from Israel.

 

According to a statement from the White House, the two nations approved a "joint declaration" on civil nuclear energy, establishing the legal framework for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership. The agreement must meet “strong nonproliferation standards".

 

Economic deals

 

Mohammad bin Salman told Trump that Saudi Arabia is raising its financial commitments to the US from $600 billion, which was announced during Trump's visit in May, to $1 trillion. While details of the agreements were not immediately available, they are expected to include investments in a range of American businesses, including artificial intelligence, as well as the purchase of jet engines and other equipment, according to the Associated Press.

 

Trump also signed a deal for Saudi Arabia to buy nearly 300 US-made tanks, a move that will strengthen the kingdom's defence capabilities and protect American jobs.

 

In a post on X, the White House said, "Today, President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finalized a series of landmark agreements that deepen the U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership, expand opportunities for high-paying American jobs, strengthen critical supply chains, and reinforce regional stability."

 

Trump defends MBS in Khashoggi killing

 

Defending MBS over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist who was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, Trump said he (Khashoggi) was extremely controversial, adding that "a lot of people did not like" him. He further said, "Whether you like him or didn't like him. Things happen, but he (the Crown Prince) knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that."

 

MBS, who denied any involvement in Khashoggi's killing, said his government had taken action. Elaborating further, he said, "It's been painful for us in Saudi Arabia. We did all the right steps of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and we've improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again. And it's painful, and it was a huge mistake."

 

MBS on allegations by 9/11 families

 

When asked about claims by families of 9/11 victims that Saudi Arabia bankrolled the terror attack, the Saudi royal said, "You know, I feel pain about, you know, families of 9/11 in America. But, you know, we have to focus on reality."

 

"Reality based in CIA documents, and based on a lot of documents that Osama bin Laden used Saudi people in that event, for one main purpose, is to destroy this [relationship], to destroy the American-Saudi relation," he added.