Trump confirmed the US will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington for defence and nuclear cooperation talks.
The visit comes amid continued scrutiny over the Khashoggi killing and concerns from US and Israeli officials about technology risks.
Trump is expected to push Saudi Arabia toward joining the Abraham Accords, though Riyadh insists on progress toward a Palestinian state.
President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will proceed with the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, calling the kingdom “a great ally” ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House on Tuesday.
The meeting marks the crown prince’s first trip to Washington since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a murder US intelligence agencies concluded was approved by Prince Mohammed — a claim he denies. His previous US visit was in early 2018 during Trump’s first term.
The leaders are expected to discuss a wide-ranging agenda, including defence agreements and potential cooperation on civilian nuclear energy. Trump is also likely to push Riyadh toward signing the Abraham Accords and establishing formal ties with Israel, a move Saudi Arabia maintains must be tied to credible steps toward a Palestinian state — a condition rejected by the current Israeli government.
The US and Saudi Arabia earlier agreed to nearly $142bn in defence sales during a meeting in Riyadh in May, part of a broader investment framework valued at $600bn. Saudi Arabia remains the largest purchaser of American weapons.
However, the prospect of providing F-35s — the most sophisticated fighter jets in the US arsenal — has raised concerns among American defence officials who fear sensitive stealth technology could be exposed, particularly given Riyadh’s growing security ties with China. Israeli officials have also voiced worries that the sale could undermine Israel’s long-held qualitative military edge, as it is currently the only Middle Eastern nation operating F-35 aircraft.
An F-35A jet costs around $82.5 million, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
