WORLD NEWS
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on November 18 for an official working visit, a White House official confirmed on Monday.
The meeting comes amid renewed U.S. efforts to expand the Abraham Accords — a landmark diplomatic initiative launched in 2020 that normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
President Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism that Saudi Arabia will eventually join the accords, despite the kingdom’s long-standing position that progress toward Palestinian statehood remains a prerequisite for normalization with Israel.
In an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said, “I believe the Saudis will ultimately join the accords,” signaling that Washington sees Riyadh’s participation as central to reshaping Middle Eastern diplomacy.
The November 18 visit is also expected to include discussions on a potential U.S.-Saudi defense agreement. According to The Financial Times, both sides have been exploring the possibility of signing a deal during Crown Prince Salman’s visit, though details remain under discussion.
A senior Trump administration official told Reuters that “there are discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but details are in flux.”
Saudi Arabia has reportedly sought formal U.S. security guarantees and access to advanced American weaponry in exchange for moving closer to Israel under the Abraham Accords framework.
The two nations have long maintained a strategic partnership centered on energy and defense. Riyadh remains one of Washington’s largest arms buyers. During Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May, the two sides agreed to a $142 billion arms package, while Crown Prince Salman pledged $600 billion in investments — a figure Trump jokingly suggested should be raised to $1 trillion.
Analysts believe the upcoming meeting could mark a major step in U.S.-Saudi relations, with implications for both Middle Eastern stability and Washington’s broader regional strategy.
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