Donald Trump says he will sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia on eve of crown prince's Washington visit

US President Donald Trump said Monday he will sell F35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia despite some concern within the administration that such a sale could lead to China gaining access to the US technology behind the advanced weapon systemThe announcement came on the eve of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans highly anticipated Washington visit his first to the United States in more than seven years I will say that that we will be doing that Trump said when asked if he would sell the jets to Saudi Arabia Well be selling F35sThe crown prince had been expected to arrive with a wish list that includes receiving formal assurances from Trump defining the scope of the US military protection for the kingdom and an agreement to buy USmade F35 fighter jets one of the worlds most advanced aircraftThe Republican administration however has been wary about upsetting Israels qualitative military edge over its neighbours especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace planAnother longstanding concern which also derailed a potential similar sale to the United Arab Emirates is that the F35 technology could be stolen by or somehow transferred to China which has close ties to both theUAE and Saudi Arabia according to three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations on the matterThe Saudis and China last month held joint naval exercises hosted by the kingdom And Beijing in 2023 helped mediate an agreement between the Saudi Arabia and Iran to reopen their embassies and exchange ambassadors amid ongoing tensions China surpassed the US last year as Saudi Arabias top trade partner but the United States has remained Riyadhs favoured nation for arms salesBradley Bowman senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said Congress could press the administration to detail what assurances Riyadh has given the White House about its relationship with ChinaHe added that the White House is likely to also face questions about plans to ensure Israel maintains its qualitative military edge The announcement by Trump comes at a moment in which hes trying to persuade Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relationsHe has talked up his push to extend his firstterm Abraham Accords the project that formalised commercial and diplomatic ties between Israel and a trio of Arab nations as key to his plan for bringing longterm stability to the Middle East as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to holdI hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords very shortly Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday as he made his way to Florida for the weekend Yet Trumps optimism that a USbrokered deal could come soon is tempered by more sober internal assessmentsThe Saudis have made clear that a guaranteed path to a Palestinian state remains a condition for the kingdom signing onto the accords something Israel vehemently opposesThe UN Security Council on Monday approved a US plan for Gaza that authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in the devastated territory and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian stateStill Saudi Arabia is unlikely to sign on to the accords anytime soon but there is cautious optimism that an agreement can be sealed by the end of Trumps second term the officials saidLets hope that President Trump makes clear that the first F35 will not be delivered until Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel Bowman said Otherwise the president will undercut his own leverageThe Trump administration formally notified Congress in November 2020 that it planned to sell 50 stealth F35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates as part of a broader arms deal worth USD 23 billion aimed at deterring potential threats from Iran despite concerns raised by IsraelThe UAE announcement came shortly after Trump lost the 2020 election to Democratic Joe Biden and followed the signing of the Abraham Accords between and the UAE But Biden soon after taking office in January 2021 put a hold on that sale Trumps move is likely to receive scrutiny from human rights activists as Prince Mohammeds trip marks his first visit to Washington since 2018On that visit the crown prince went on a threeweek US tour aimed at improving the perception of his nation in the eyes of Americans concerned by the kingdoms conservative social mores its unequal treatment of women and the ignominious fact that 15 of 19 hijackers that took part in the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States were Saudi citizensThe Saudis reputation was further eroded months after Prince Mohammeds last Washington visit with the killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey an operation targeting a critic of the kingdom that US intelligence agencies later determined Prince Mohammed likely directed The crown prince has denied he was involvedBut seven years later the dark clouds in the USSaudi relationship have been cleared away by Trump who has tightened his embrace of the 40yearold crown prince he views as an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come They have been a great ally Trump saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever