The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals with Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official told Reuters on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Riyadh.
The arms deals could reach up to $300 billion over 10 years to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities, Reuters reports. The White House noted that the arms packages would still be qualitatively less than is received by Israel.
The President departs Washington on May 19th to Saudi Arabia, his first trip abroad as President.
The news of the reported deals, like President Trump’s choice to visit Saudi Arabia for his first trip abroad in office, underscores the primacy that the Kingdom has for the Trump Administration in dealing with security challenges and commercial opportunities.
The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defense and maritime security, the official said. “We’ll see a very substantial commitment … In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face,” the administration official told Reuters.
