WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit the White House on November 18 for an official working meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, a White House official confirmed on Monday.
The visit comes as Trump steps up efforts to persuade Saudi Arabia to join the expanding circle of nations under the Abraham Accords. In 2020, Trump brokered groundbreaking normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, reshaping the Middle East’s diplomatic landscape.
Riyadh, however, has maintained a cautious stance, emphasizing that tangible progress toward establishing a Palestinian state must precede any formal normalization with Israel.
In a recent CBS “60 Minutes” interview, Trump expressed confidence that Saudi Arabia would “ultimately join the accords,” signaling renewed optimism for a major diplomatic breakthrough in the region.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss a potential U.S.–Saudi defense agreement. The Financial Times reported two weeks ago that both sides were exploring the possibility of signing such a pact during Crown Prince Mohammed’s upcoming visit.
A senior Trump administration official told WNN that “there are discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but details are still in flux.”
Saudi Arabia has long sought formal U.S. security guarantees for its defense and expanded access to advanced American weapons systems.
The kingdom remains one of the largest buyers of U.S. arms, and the bilateral relationship continues to be defined by the strategic exchange of oil for security.
During Trump’s visit to Riyadh earlier this year, the United States finalized an arms deal worth nearly $142 billionwith Saudi Arabia, a move that reinforced the depth of defense cooperation and underscored Washington’s commitment to regional stability.
— Michael Robin
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