US President Donald Trump. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein / AP / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he intends to approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, on the eve of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House, reports AFP.
“We're going to do that, we're going to sell F-35s,” Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the Saudis “have been excellent allies.”
The Saudi crown prince, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, arrives in Washington with the goal of acquiring advanced air and missile defense systems, as well as these F-35 jets, which only Israel currently has in the Middle East.
Donald Trump recently reiterated his desire for Saudi Arabia – a major power in the Middle East – to recognize Israel by joining the Abraham Accords. And, according to the publication Axios, Israel wants any American sale of F-35 aircraft to Riyadh to be conditional on this recognition.
