U.S. President Donald Trump is said to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning to kick off a four-day swing through the Gulf region.
This trip will focus more on economic deals than on the security crises besetting the region, from the war in Gaza to the threat of escalation over Iran’s nuclear program.
American business leaders, including Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk, will be in attendance.
The president will first visit Riyadh, where the Saudi-US Investment Forum is taking place and further continue to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He has also said he may travel on Thursday to Turkey for potential face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Trump’s second foreign trip
His second foreign trip since taking office again was his first to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, which comes during a moment of geopolitical tension.
In addition to pressing for a settlement to the war in Ukraine, the current administration is pushing for a new aid mechanism for war-torn Gaza and urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a new ceasefire deal there.
Recall that over the weekend, New Daily Prime had earlier reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Oman to discuss a potential deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program. The US president has threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails.
The U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are expected to announce potentially trillions in investments. Saudi Arabia already committed in January to $600 billion in investments in the U.S. over the next four years, but Trump has said he will ask for a full trillion.
In addition to Musk, business leaders including BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser will make the trip.
Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth will travel with the president.
During the Riyadh stop, Trump is expected to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, which could include a range of advanced weapons, including C-130 transport aircraft.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are expected to avoid the topic of normalisation between Riyadh and Israel altogether, even as it is the U.S president’s most enduring geopolitical goal in the region.
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