Riyadh has announced that it will invest $600 billion in the United States. However, this investment cannot be compared with the announcements that have come from the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi plans to invest up to $1.4 trillion in the US over the next ten years. In addition to the United States, the Trump family also has a number of business interests in the Region.
US President Donald Trump met with Syria’s leader, former jihadist Ahmed al-Shar, after he announced that the United States was lifting sanctions on the Syrian regime he leads. Shar and Trump spoke in the company of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the meeting via video link. It was the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in decades. “We are lifting sanctions because we want to give them a chance. This is their moment to shine. Good luck, Syria,” Trump said, jokingly adding, “Oh, what I do for the crown prince!”
The US president chose Riyadh for his first official presidential trip in his first term. He continues it in Qatar and ends in the United Arab Emirates. “The Gulf countries are the basis of stability, peace and progress in the Middle East,” he said at the meeting, calling on Syria to normalize relations with Israel. Trump’s statements and agenda show that the issue of normalizing relations between Israel and America’s Arab allies is not at the forefront as it was in his first term, when the main topic of the agenda was the Abraham Accords.
THE WAR IN GAZA
In the Gulf states, the topic that remains constantly hanging in the meetings is the war in Gaza. However, analysts believe that there is little room for significant progress, especially in light of the proposals presented by Donald Trump and his circle, which suggest “relocating Palestinians and building luxury resorts” in the war-torn Palestinian enclave. The positions of the Gulf states are also clear in terms of support for the US nuclear negotiations with Iran, another Regional hot-button issue. In its report on the visit, Foreign Affairs magazine notes that anything is possible: either Trump’s visit prepares the ground for war with Iran, or for the signing of a new nuclear agreement.
AGREEMENT
In an official statement ahead of the visit, the White House said the purpose of the trip was to strengthen economic partnerships, defense cooperation, and Regional diplomacy in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. Trump signed a series of cooperation agreements with Riyadh on the first day of his visit. Among them, a contract to purchase US weapons worth $142 billion.
Writing about the meetings, Israeli media focused on discussions about US-Saudi cooperation in the field of developing the civilian nuclear industry. The Times of Israel newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying that the United States no longer requires Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel as a precondition for resuming talks on civilian nuclear cooperation. However, “an agreement is not imminent,” the aforementioned Israeli media outlet reported.
“FILLING THE POCKETS”
The most concrete outcome of the visit is likely to be bilateral economic and defense agreements. Trump is accompanied by his national security adviser, Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Pete Hegseth and a number of American businessmen. At a time of trade disputes with China and failure to end the war in Ukraine, Trump is eager for new investment and a recovery of the American economy.
Riyadh has announced that it will invest $600 billion in the United States. However, this investment cannot be compared with the announcements that have come from the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi plans to invest up to $1.4 trillion in the US over the next ten years. In addition to the United States, the Trump family also has a number of business interests in the Region.