Trump says he is making saudi arabia a great ally of not

President Trump said Tuesday he would designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO member, marking a shake-up in the defense rift between the US and the Gulf Monarchy.

Mr. Trump announced the move at a black-clad White House dinner in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. The two leaders signed a new defense agreement earlier in the day, and Mr. Trump said Monday The US will sell fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

The designation could open the door to cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US military, including easier access to military equipment. It is also symbolic: Mr. Trump said in brief remarks Tuesday evening that it would take “military cooperation to the highest level.”

Currently there are 20 non-NATO allies, including some middle eastern countries such as Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan.

“A stronger and more capable alliance will advance the interests of both countries, and it will serve the highest interests of peace,” Mr Trump said during dinner on Tuesday.

Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia dates back eight decades, bookended by the meeting between King Abdulaziz Ibn Roosevelt who boarded a US Navy Cruiser in 1945.

During the Tuesday meetings – marked by White Festivals Youth House and the military Flyover – Mr. Trump even pressed the military and ongoing cooperation with the Gulf State. The White House said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia will buy hundreds of tanks and fighter jets and will cooperate with the US on intelligence and the kingdom’s nuclear problems, while bin Salman – forgiven Investment is about $1 trillion in the US, up from $600 billion.

Members of Mr Trump’s family also have business interests in the country. Mr Trump insisted earlier on Tuesday he didn’t believe “they did anything” about those deals, and “they did very little with Saudi Arabia, actually.”

It is still unclear whether Saudi Arabia will sign on Abraham agreesa series of political agreements initiated by Mr. Trump between Israel and moderate Muslims – Muslim states like the United Arab Emirates. Most of those deals were put in place during the first term by the President, and Mr. Trump told “60 Minutes” himself he believes that Saudi Arabia will join.

During the Oval Office event earlier on Tuesday, Bin Salman told reporters that he wants to join the accords but he needs to see the way to the Palestinian land. Mr Trump added that the two leaders “had a very good speech for Abraham.”

But Saudi Arabia’s human rights record makes it an adversarial US ally. American Internet Agencies concluded in 2021 That Mr. Bin Salman allowed the 2018 assassination of Jamal Khashoggia Saudi journalist who regularly criticized the country’s regime in the pages of the Washington Post.

Mr. Trump he told reporters on Tuesday He believes that Bin Salman “knew nothing” about the killings in 2018, and called Khachiggi “very controversial.” Bin Salman said it was “really sad to hear” about the killings.

Katherine Watson and Caroline Linton contributed to this report.