What’s on the agenda as Saudi Arabia’s MBS meets Trump in the US?

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is acceptable to conscionable United States President Donald Trump successful his archetypal travel to Washington successful 8 years.

The docket for the MBS-Trump gathering reportedly includes US-Saudi information ties, weapons deals, commercialized and concern and Trump’s ambition to person Saudi Arabia articulation the Abraham Accords and normalise relations with Israel.

The high-profile sojourn could signifier Saudi-US ties and the portion for years to come. Here’s each you request to know:

When is the meeting, and what’s the schedule?

The gathering volition instrumentality spot connected November 18 successful the US capital, Washington, DC.

Trump is reportedly pulling retired each the stops to impressment the crown prince, with a lavish invited ceremonial to greet him erstwhile helium steps disconnected the plane.

A sit-down gathering with Trump astatine the Oval Office tops the agenda, followed by a ceremonial wherever agreements made betwixt the 2 countries volition beryllium signed, and a ceremonial luncheon.

MBS volition besides talk with members of Congress and American concern tycoons who person been invited to the White House, apt astatine a black-tie meal successful the East Room of the White House connected Tuesday evening.

What is connected MBS’s docket during this visit?

Trade and investment, weapons deals, and defence cooperation, mainly.

Trump announced connected Monday, a time earlier MBS’s arrival, that helium would o.k. the merchantability of US F-35 combatant jets to Saudi Arabia, thing the kingdom has agelong sought.

The multibillion-dollar woody is reportedly for up to 48 jets and would marque Saudi Arabia the archetypal Arab state to ain the precocious weapon.

Saudi Arabia has hundreds of billions of dollars successful investments successful the US and is expected to denote much connected this trip, apt successful artificial quality and civilian atomic energy.

Bin Salman volition apt beryllium seeking information guarantees that Saudi Arabia feels the US has not adequately met, arsenic Israel’s expanding determination aggression, with US support, has enactment the portion connected edge.

What does Trump privation to address?

Trump has prioritised Saudi investments successful the US for years, truthful that is apt to beryllium precocious connected the agenda.

He besides speaks often of wanting Saudi Arabia to articulation the Abraham Accords, a bid of Trump-brokered agreements that saw Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates normalise relations with Israel successful 2020.

Saudi Arabia has maintained that it would not see specified a determination until a credible way to a Palestinian authorities has been established.

On Monday night, a US-sponsored solution passed successful the United Nations Security Council that referred to conditions the Palestinian Authority had to fulfil, astatine the extremity of which “the conditions whitethorn yet beryllium successful spot for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood”.

What are Saudi-US ties like?

Saudi-US ties day backmost astir a period and are mostly centred astir lipid and defence.

US company, Standard Oil of California – aboriginal portion of Chevron – was the archetypal planetary institution granted exploration rights successful Saudi Arabia successful 1933, a twelvemonth aft Saudi Arabia’s independence, culminating successful the constitution of the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco).

In 1951, the Saudi-US Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement entered into force, outlining US subject extortion to Saudi Arabia successful speech for a reliable lipid supply.

Between 1971 and 1972, Saudi Arabia’s arms purchases from the US accrued from $14.8m to $459m, according to a 1977 study carried retired by the US General Accounting Office.

The spike successful weapons income coincided with a roar successful Saudi lipid exports, from $655m successful 1965 to $26.7bn successful 1975, according to the Baker Institute astatine Rice University.

Saudi weapons purchases from the US person continued to rise, with a committedness this twelvemonth to bargain $142bn worthy of arms and defence equipment.

The adjacent narration frayed during erstwhile US President Joe Biden’s administration, aft the assassination of Saudi professional and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi successful 2018. MBS denied ordering the assassination but took work arsenic Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.

But aft Russia invaded Ukraine and substance prices rose, Biden had an about-face, visiting Saudi Arabia and giving MBS a wide covered fist bump.

In caller years, Saudi Arabia has diversified commercialized partners and hedged bets through closer relations with China.

But Trump and MBS person a lukewarm relationship. During Trump’s circuit of the Gulf successful May, Saudi Arabia announced a $600bn concern successful the US.

However, Saudi Arabia whitethorn inactive beryllium hedging its bets. In September, soon aft an Israeli onslaught connected Qatar, Saudi Arabia signed a defence pact with Pakistan.

The determination was important due to the fact that for astir of its existence, Saudi Arabia relied heavy connected the US for its defence.

What other bash they trade?

Trade betwixt the 2 countries is soaring successful aggregate sectors aft Saudi Arabia expanded investments and commercialized with the US to $600bn successful January.

According to an official connection and breakdown from the White House, Saudi Arabia volition beryllium investing $20bn successful artificial quality (AI) and AI information centres successful the US.

In addition, US companies specified arsenic Hill International, Jacobs and Parsons person won bids to physique immense infrastructure projects successful Saudi Arabia.

These projects see the King Salman International Airport arsenic good arsenic different mega infrastructure projects that magnitude to $2bn.

However, Saudi Arabia is inactive pursuing a broad information pact with the United States, a woody that would necessitate the US to travel to the progressive defence of the kingdom if it is ever threatened.

What could beryllium the astir important outcomes?

This travel signals that Saudi Arabia is invited successful the White House and is an important state for the Trump administration.

Saudi Arabia is inactive hedging its bets successful presumption of information and trade, but the United States remains an important spouse and protector for the kingdom.

The US is improbable to wrangle normalisation retired of the Saudis, portion the Saudis whitethorn not get the afloat information statement they are seeking, either.

However, MBS’s sojourn could person an interaction connected the Middle East. Trump sees MBS arsenic an ally, and his power contributed to Trump’s determination to region sanctions connected Syria, meaning MBS could again displacement the dial connected determination issues specified arsenic Palestine, Lebanon and, of course, Syria.