WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is set to visit the White House on November 18 for an official working meeting with US President Donald Trump, a senior White House official announced on Monday.
The high-profile visit underscores the deepening diplomatic engagement between Washington and Riyadh as the Trump administration seeks to expand the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations.
Focus on Abraham Accords and Regional Stability
The visit comes as President Trump continues to urge Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, a landmark initiative he launched in 2020. Under the accords, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalized relations with Israel — marking a historic shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics.
While Saudi Arabia has supported the accords publicly, it has hesitated to formally join due to the lack of progress toward Palestinian statehood. Trump, however, remains optimistic. In a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast on Sunday, he said, “I believe the Saudis will ultimately join the accords.”
Earlier this month, Trump expressed hope that an expanded version of the Abraham Accords could soon be announced, highlighting the “importance of peace and cooperation in the Middle East.”
Possible US-Saudi Defence Agreement
Another key topic on the agenda will be a potential US-Saudi defence agreement. According to The Financial Times, both sides have been exploring the possibility of signing such a pact during MBS’s visit. A senior US official told Reuters that “there are discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but details are in flux.”
The proposed agreement could provide formal US security guarantees to Saudi Arabia in exchange for closer strategic alignment, including cooperation on energy security, counterterrorism, and regional stability.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking access to more advanced US weaponry and assurances of American support against external threats. The kingdom remains one of the largest buyers of US arms, cementing a decades-long partnership based on oil supply and defense cooperation.
Economic and Strategic Ties
The two nations’ relationship has also been defined by major arms and investment deals. During Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May, the United States agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, while Crown Prince Salman pledged $600 billion in future investments — to which Trump humorously responded, “It should be $1 trillion.”
Observers note that this upcoming visit could mark a pivotal moment in US-Saudi relations, as both countries aim to strengthen their alliance amid shifting dynamics in the Middle East, the ongoing Gaza peace efforts, and evolving energy markets.
If Saudi Arabia formally joins the Abraham Accords, it would represent one of the most consequential diplomatic breakthroughs in the region since the accords’ inception.
