U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Tuesday, focusing on arms deals, nuclear cooperation, while downplaying questions about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The controversy over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S.-based critic of the Saudi leadership, flared again in the Oval Office in front of cameras.
The kingdom's de facto ruler was making his first White House visit in more than seven years, seeking to further rehabilitate his global image tarnished by the incident.
"A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about, whether you like him or didn't like him," Trump told reporters, with bin Salman sitting beside him. "Things happened, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that."
Bin Salman said it had been "painful" to hear about Khashoggi's death but that his government "did all the right steps of investigation."
"We've improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it's painful and it's a huge mistake," he told reporters.
Arms sales, civil nuclear agreement
Trump said he received a "positive response" about the prospects for Saudi Arabia normalising ties with Israel.
But the crown prince made clear that while he wanted to join the Abraham Accords, he was sticking to his condition that Israel must provide a path to Palestinian statehood, which it has refused to do.
During a dinner at the White House later on Tuesday, Trump said he was "taking our military cooperation to even greater heights" by designating Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO Ally, a status that provides a U.S. partner with military and economic privileges but does not entail security commitments.
A White House fact sheet said the two sides signed a Strategic Defence Agreement, which "fortifies deterrence across the Middle East," makes it easier for U.S. defence firms to operate in the country.
The dinner also included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Portugal’s soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
The White House announced Trump had approved future deliveries of F-35 fighter jets and the Saudis had agreed to purchase 300 American tanks.
The two countries also signed a joint declaration on the completion of negotiations on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which the White House said would build the legal foundation for a long-term nuclear energy partnership.
Crown Prince boosts investment pledge
Sitting next to Trump, bin Salman promised to increase his country's U.S. investment to $1 trillion from a $600 billion pledge he made when Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May. But he offered no details or timetable.
The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on artificial intelligence and a framework for collaboration on critical minerals, the White House said.
A $1 trillion investment in the U.S. would be difficult for Saudi Arabia to pull together given its heavy spending on an already-ambitious series of massive projects at home, including futuristic megacities that have gone over budget, according to experts.
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be lengthened by three weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on social media website...
Afghanistan is exploring new business opportunities in cotton, tourism and minerals following trade and investment talks this week with officials f...
Georgia is entering a pivotal economic and geopolitical phase, as talks with China to expand a free trade agreement coincide with renewed progress ...
Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV Slovenia has confirmed it will not air the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, joining a widening boycott over ...
The European Union has introduced new trade restrictions on Kyrgyzstan under its 20th sanctions package against Russia, marking the first time a Ce...
The leader of Yemen’s southern separatists failed to travel to Riyadh for crisis talks on Wednesday, leaving his fate unclear and complicating efforts to contain a military escalation that has widened a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
President Donald Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House on Tuesday, as the Saudi de facto ruler seeks to rehabilitate his global image following the 2018 murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi and deepen relations with Washington.
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday, exclusively to Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
The European Union is preparing its 20th round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The measures are close to being approved, after earlier delays linked to energy concerns in Slovakia and Hungary eased following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A United States Army soldier has been charged with making more than $400,000 by betting on the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to the Department of Justice.
The European Union adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia on Thursday (23 April), introducing sweeping new restrictions aimed at weakening Moscow’s war economy and limiting its capacity to sustain the war in Ukraine.
European Union leaders were set to discuss the bloc’s mutual assistance clause at a summit in southern Cyprus on Thursday, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of traditional allies raises concerns over his commitment to NATO.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment