Trump-MBS meet: F-35 sale, $1 tn pledge, Khashoggi comments—key takeaways

Trump-MBS meeting: F-35 sale to Saudi, $1 trillion investment in US, remarks on Khashoggi, Osama bin Laden—key takeaways

President Donald Trump welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House on Tuesday (local time) for a warm and friendly meeting, filled with numerous handshakes and back pats. He downplayed questions regarding Saudi Arabia's human rights record, lauded the prince's leadership and revealed hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the United States.

The White House showcased significant pageantry for the Saudi royal on Tuesday, including a display of fighter jets watched by the two leaders from a red carpet, an honour guard on horseback, and an extravagant dinner in the East Room.

Trump-MBS meeting: A look at 10 key takeaways

Trump had hinted at his decision to sell F-35 fighter jets on Sunday but made it official in front of the prince on Tuesday, stating that the approval was finalised and that Israel's concerns about maintaining its qualitative military edge in the Middle East would be addressed. “As far as I'm concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line. Israel's aware and they're going to be very happy,” AP quoted Trump as saying who mentioned of Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already possesses F-35s.2. Israeli officials have indicated they would not object to Saudi Arabia acquiring F-35 jets, provided Riyadh normalises relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. For their part, the Saudis have said they would sign on to the Accords only if there is a credible, guaranteed path toward Palestinian statehood, a stance Crown Prince Mohammed reiterated during the meeting.

He mentioned, "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. We're going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that.”

3. He also announced that the US and Saudi Arabia would finalise a broader military and security agreement during the visit and proceed with a civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, which has also raised concerns in Israel.

4. Trump designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally. The designation, given to nations with close strategic ties to the US, grants financing and priority access to certain military equipment purchases, along with the ability to engage in joint research initiatives, according to Bloomberg.

5. The two countries signed an agreement for Saudi Arabia to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the US.

6. Trump announced that he was designating Saudi Arabia as a Major Non-NATO Ally, a largely symbolic status that provides foreign partners with certain defense, trade, and security cooperation benefits.

7. Tuesday marked the crown prince's first White House visit since the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. US intelligence agencies have indicated that Prince Mohammed likely approved the killing, a report by AP noted.

Trump described Khashoggi, a Saudi pro-democracy activist, “extremely controversial” and mentioned “a lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. 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".

Prince Mohammad, nicknamed MBS, who has refuted involvement in Khashoggi's killing, responded that his government had taken action. He stated, “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.”

8. The White House visit and associated agreements, including a broad Saudi commitment to raise investment in the US from $600 billion to $1 trillion, represent significant achievements for the Crown Prince.

9. MBS said Osama bin Laden orchestrated the 9/11 attacks to sabotage US–Saudi ties, and claimed that anyone who argues otherwise is essentially helping that objective. “Osama Bin Laden used Saudi people for 9/11 to destroy US-Saudi relations; doing our best to not let it happen again,” PTI quoted MBS as saying.

10. Trump also announced that the US and Saudi Arabia had reached a deal on artificial intelligence, following tense negotiations over the kingdom's request for access to advanced chips.

Source: LiveMint
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