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US President Donald Trump will roll out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday for a visit that is expected to advance the sale of F-35 fighter jets and a series of business deals with the kingdom.
It will be bin Salman's first trip to the US since the 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, which sparked global outrage.
US intelligence concluded that MBS approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi, a prominent critic.
The crown prince denied ordering the operation, but accepted responsibility as the kingdom's de facto ruler.
The warm welcome he will receive in Washington is the latest sign that relations have recovered from the deep strain caused by Khashoggi's murder.
During a day of diplomacy at the White House, MBS will hold talks with Trump in the Oval Office, have lunch in the Cabinet Room and attend an official dinner in the evening.
Trump hopes to capitalize on a $600 billion investment pledge from Saudi Arabia, made during his visit to the kingdom in May. A senior White House official told Reuters that U.S.-Saudi deals on technology, manufacturing, defense and more are expected.
Trump told reporters on Monday that "we will sell" F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, which has sought to buy 48 of the advanced jets.
This would be the first sale of fighter jets from the US to Saudi Arabia and would mark a significant political shift. The deal could change the military balance in the Middle East and test Washington's determination to maintain what the US has called Israel's "qualitative military advantage." Until now, Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35.
Beyond military equipment, the Saudi leader is seeking security guarantees, access to artificial intelligence technology and progress on an agreement on a civilian nuclear program.
"The Saudis are going to spend a lot of money tomorrow on the US," a senior White House official told Reuters on Monday.
Former US Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross, who now works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Trump wants to develop a multifaceted relationship that keeps Saudi Arabia out of China's sphere.
"President Trump believes that all of these steps increasingly align the Saudis with us on a range of issues, from security to the finance-AI-energy nexus. He wants them to be aligned with us on these issues and not with China," Ross said.
Trump is expected to pressure MBS to get Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel.
The Saudis have been reluctant to take such a major step without a clear path to Palestinian statehood, a goal that has been put on the back burner as the region grapples with the Gaza war.
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