&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Working to normalise relations with Israel: Saudi Crown Prince MBS after White House meeting with Trump")
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at the White House to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ( 18 Nov), eight years after his 2017 trip to Washington. The agenda for the meeting between the two leaders is likely to be US-Saudi security ties, weapons deals, trade and investment and Trump’s ambition to have Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords and normalise relations with Israel.
President Donald Trump laid a red carpet for the Saudi Crown Prince, who is on his first visit to the United States since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Also Read: MBS in White House: Donald Trump welcomes Saudi Prince with fighter jets flying over | See pics
The crown prince was also welcomed with a military flypast featuring an F-35 stealth fighter that Washington will sell to Riyadh. Cannon fire and a parade of horses also greeted the Saudi prince as Trump looked to strengthen an alliance and a personal bond with the key Middle Eastern ally.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia’s football league, will attend the Gala Day events at the White House, as reported by AFP.
Following the meeting between the two leaders, Saudi Arabia announced that it will invest up to $1 trillion in the United States, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US President Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
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"I believe, Mr President, in today and tomorrow, we can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment, real investment, and real opportunity," the prince said as he appeared with Trump in front of reporters at the Oval Office.
"Now, you're saying to me now that the $600 billion will be $1 trillion?" Trump said, to which the Saudi royal replied: "Definitely."
On the subject of normalising relationship with Israel, Trump said, "We've had a very good talk on the Abraham Accords... I think you have a very good feeling toward the Abraham Accords."
To which the crown prince replied, "Yes, definitely, Mr President. We want peace for the Israelis, we want peace for the Palestinians."
The Saudi de facto leader has built close ties with President Trump and his family over the years. The US president was accorded a grand welcome and $600 billion investment pledges when he chose Saudi Arabia as the first foreign country he visited in his second term in May. Riyadh is also expected to announce a multi-billion-dollar investment in AI infrastructure in the United States on Tuesday.
Trump is expected to push the crown prince to normalise relations with Israel as part of the widening scope of the Abraham Accords he signed with Middle Eastern countries during his first term.
The 40-year-old prince is expected to pursue his own priorities, pressing for stronger US security assurances after Israel’s September strikes on Qatar, a close American ally that unsettled the Gulf region. In addition to F-35 fighter jets, Riyadh aims to secure advanced air and missile-defence systems and will push aggressively for access to cutting-edge chips essential for its AI ambitions, according to experts.
