The United States and Saudi Arabia signed agreements on civil nuclear energy and the sale of cutting-edge US F-35 warplanes during a visit Tuesday by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the White House said.
The two countries ratified a "joint declaration" on civil nuclear energy that "builds the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy partnership" in line with "strong non-proliferation standards," the White House said in a statement.
In addition, President Donald Trump approved a "major defence sale package," which includes future deliveries of F-35 advanced American fighter jets.
As part of newly-signed Strategic Defence Agreement (SDA) between the US and Saudi Arabia, Washington has greenlit the sale of F-35 fighter jets and 300 Abrams tanks to the Middle East ally, the White House announced.
“The SDA is a win for the America First agenda, making it easier for US defence firms to operate in Saudi Arabia, securing new burden-sharing funds from the Saudi Arabia to defray US costs, and affirming that the Kingdom views the United States as its primary strategic partner,” the White House said in a statement.
As part of the deal, Riyadh will purchase an unspecified number of F-35 fighters — a long-sought commitment from the Kingdom and a major boost to the Lockheed Martin-produced jet. The kingdom will also purchase “nearly” 300 Abrams tanks “enabling Saudi Arabia to build up its own defence capabilities and safeguarding hundreds of American jobs,” the White House added.
While not announced, other weapon sales may be part of the agreement as well. A top executive from General Atomics told Breaking Defense that his company is in talks to sell up to 130 MQ-9Bs in addition to 200 Gambit loyal wingman drones to the Saudis.
Details on the F-35 will be closely scrutinized, as the US has pledged to maintain Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge — effectively, making sure Israel has better kit than its neighbours — in the region. The F-35I, which Israel has used operationally in recent years, is believed to have special sensors on board.
Asked about the QME, President Trump said in the Oval Office “When you look at the F-35, and you’re asking me is it the same, I think it’s going to be pretty similar, yeah. This is a great ally, and Israel’s a great ally, and I know they’d like you to get planes of reduced calibre. I don’t think that makes you too happy,” Trump said, directing his comments to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “We‘re looking at that exactly right now, but as far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at the level where they should get top of the line.”
In addition to signing the SDA, the White House said the two leaders also inked a Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation, a Critical Minerals Framework and an AI Memorandum of Understanding.
Saudi investments
Saudi Arabia 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.
"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."
Meanwhile, President Trump fiercely defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting the kingdom's de facto ruler "knew nothing" about the murder as he wooed him at the White House.
Trump sought to brush the gruesome murder of the Washington Post columnist under the red carpet, honouring the Saudi royal with a flypast and lavish dinner, and formally naming Riyadh as a major non-NATO ally.
He raged at a journalist who asked the prince in the Oval Office about the case for embarrassing the Saudi royal on his first US trip since the murder, and called Khashoggi "extremely controversial".
"A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about," he said. "Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happened, but he (the prince) knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that. You don't have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that."
The Saudi royal, who came bearing a pledge of a $1 trillion investment in the United States on his first US visit since the killing, said Khashoggi's murder was "painful" and a "huge mistake."
Trump's comments were at odds with a US intelligence assessment in 2021 that concluded Prince Mohammed had ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi, who was murdered and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Saudi officials blamed rogue agents.
- 'No justification' -
After the meeting, the journalist's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, said in a post on X there was "no justification to murder my husband" and urged the Saudi prince to "meet me, apologize and compensate me."
The killing during Trump's first term caused a diplomatic crisis, but the US president made it clear he now wanted to paper over it as he boosts his relationship with the Saudis.
Trump called for US broadcaster ABC, whose journalist asked the question about Khashoggi's murder, to have its license revoked in a furious diatribe against the "crappy" company.
In a surprise move at the gala dinner in the evening, Trump said he was designating Saudi Arabia as one of just 20 major non-NATO allies around the world. "I'm just telling you now for the first time, because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight," he said.
Soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia, was among the guests at the meal. So was billionaire Elon Musk, in a sign that the billionaire has mended ties with Trump after his tempestuous spell in the president's administration.
Earlier Trump, 79, pulled out all the stops to impress Prince Mohammed, 40, giving him a flyby featuring the coveted, US-made F-35 stealth fighters, and thundering cannon fire.
The flattery continued inside the Oval Office, as Trump called the Saudi a "very good friend" and hailed him as being "incredible, in terms of human rights, and everything else."
The two countries later signed a host of deals, including a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that the White House said would last decades.
Trump also approved a "major defense sale package" which includes "future deliveries" of F-35s. They also agreed to share AI technology "while protecting US technology from foreign influence."
Palestinian statehood
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday that his kingdom wanted to normalize relations with Israel through US President Donald Trump's Abraham Accords, but first needed a "clear path" to Palestinian statehood.
"We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution," Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler said in the Oval Office alongside Trump.
"We're going to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible," he added.
Pressed by Trump, who said that his guest had a "very good feeling" for the Abraham accords, the prince said: "We want peace for the Israelis. We want peace for the Palestinians."
"We want them to coexist peacefully in the region, and we will do our best to reach that date."
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020 became the first Arab states in decades to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, hailed by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a signature diplomatic triumph.
Saudi Arabia would be a much bigger prize due to its status as guardian of Islam's two holiest sites and its influence in the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Unlike the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said that Palestinian statehood is its goal.
Netanyahu has long opposed a two-state solution, despite a lukewarm endorsement of Palestinian aspirations in a ceasefire agreement in Gaza pushed by Trump.
Netanyahu leads a coalition with far-right supporters who not only reject Palestinian statehood but want Israel to annex the West Bank.
- Business interests -
Trump said he had also pushed Prince Mohammed to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords, as he seeks to turn the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza into a longer-lasting regional peace.
The Saudi said he wanted to join the accords -- Trump's signature diplomatic achievement during his first term -- but first needed a "clear path" to Palestinian statehood.
Prince Mohammed has fostered close ties with Trump and his family over the years, including through investment pledges to the property billionaire-turned-US president.
Trump denied any conflicts of interest, a day after a Saudi developer announced a new hotel partnership in the Maldives with the Trump Organization, which is run by his sons.
"I have nothing to do with the family business. I have left," Trump said.–Agencies