US President Donald Trump has said he plans to visit Saudi Arabia, suggesting a major investment deal with Saudi Arabia, which has become a key site for US diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine.
Asked whether he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia, Trump said he would like to visit the oil-rich Gulf country, but the main purpose of the trip would be business. “I’m going to Saudi Arabia,” Trump told reporters.
“I told the Saudi king, if you commit to giving American companies a trillion dollars (set aside a trillion dollars in purchases over four years), I will go there,” he said, referring to the length of his term. He further explained his statement, saying, “They have agreed to do so, so I am going there.”
Trump, who has not yet traveled abroad since returning to the White House, made Saudi Arabia his first foreign destination after taking office in 2017. He said he decided to go to Saudi Arabia instead of the UK on his first trip in 2017. At that time, Saudi Arabia had promised to buy US$450 billion worth of American products.
As Trump forged close business ties with Saudi Arabia, the Trump Organization announced last December that it would build a Trump Tower in Jeddah. During his last term, Trump said he would support Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is accused of murdering dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, because Saudi Arabia had purchased weapons from the United States.
Former President Joe Biden initially pledged to make the crown prince an “outsider” on human rights grounds, but his administration later tried to encourage Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, including with a draft defense agreement.
The Trump administration has vowed to move full speed ahead in its efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel, a historic step as the kingdom is home to two of Islam’s holiest sites.
