Trump said that he would sell F-35 aircraft to Saudi Arabia on the eve of the Crown Prince’s visit to Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, as he praised the kingdom for its strong partnership with the United States.

This announcement came on the eve of the upcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, his first to the United States in more than seven years.

“I would say we would,” Trump said when asked if he would sell the planes to Saudi Arabia. “We will sell F-35s.”

The Crown Prince was expected to arrive with a wish list that included receiving official assurances from Trump specifying the scope of American military protection for the Kingdom, and an agreement to purchase American-made F-35 fighter jets, one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.

“They’ve been a great ally,” Trump said of the Saudis.

Read more: The Saudi Crown Prince says that the Kingdom intends to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years

However, the Republican administration has been cautious about upsetting Israel’s qualitative military advantage over its neighbors, especially at a time when Trump is counting on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.

Another long-standing concern, which has also derailed a potential similar sale to the UAE, is that F-35 technology could be stolen or somehow transferred to China, which has close ties to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Trump’s announcement comes at a time when he is desperately trying to convince Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations.

He has spoken of seeking an extension of his Abraham Accords — the project that formalized trade and diplomatic ties between Israel and three Arab countries — as key to his plan to achieve long-term stability in the Middle East as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues.

“I hope that Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham Accords very soon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday on his way to Florida for the weekend.

However, Trump’s optimism that a US-brokered agreement could be reached soon has been weakened by more sober internal assessments.

The Saudis have made clear that a guaranteed path to a Palestinian state remains a condition for the kingdom signing the agreements — something Israel strongly opposes.

Saudi Arabia is unlikely to sign the agreements anytime soon, but there is cautious optimism that an agreement could be reached by the end of Trump’s second term, according to three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The Trump administration formally notified Congress in November 2020 that it planned to sell 50 F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates as part of a broader $23 billion arms deal aimed at deterring potential threats from Iran, despite concerns raised by Israel.

The UAE’s announcement came shortly after Trump lost the 2020 elections to Democrat Joe Biden, and following the signing of the Abraham Accords between the UAE and the UAE.

But Biden, shortly after taking off in January 2021, halted that sale.