Washington (TDI): Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit the White House on November 18 for a working meeting with US President Donald Trump, a senior official from the White House confirmed on Monday.
The upcoming visit comes as President Trump continues his efforts to encourage Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, the landmark agreements aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations, Reuters reported.
In 2020, Trump brokered normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. However, Saudi Arabia has remained cautious about joining the accords without significant progress toward Palestinian statehood.
In a recent interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes”, President Trump expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia would eventually come on board with the accords. He added that he anticipated an expansion of the Abraham Accords in the near future and highlighted the importance of Middle Eastern nations joining the pact.
Read More: Trump Discusses Iran, Abraham Accords With Saudi Defense Minister
Beyond the Abraham Accords, President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed are expected to discuss a potential US-Saudi defense agreement. The Financial Times reported two weeks ago that both sides were hopeful they could finalize such an agreement during the crown prince’s visit. A senior administration official told Reuters that while talks were ongoing, “details are still in flux” regarding what could be signed.
The Saudis have been pushing for formal US guarantees to defend the kingdom and have sought access to more advanced US weaponry. Saudi Arabia remains one of the United States’ largest arms customers, and the longstanding US-Saudi relationship has been anchored in a deal where Saudi Arabia provides oil, and the US offers security.
Read More: Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Sign Economic Partnership Deal
During his visit to Riyadh in May, President Trump oversaw the announcement of a $142 billion arms package with Saudi Arabia. He also celebrated a $600 billion investment commitment from the Saudi crown prince, joking that the figure should be closer to $1 trillion.
