Trump says he will sell advanced warplanes to Saudi Arabia on eve of crown prince’s US visit
US President Donald Trump said he will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia as he praised the kingdom for its strong partnership with his administration.
The announcement came on the eve of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s highly anticipated Washington visit, his first to the US 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. “We’ll be selling F-35s.”
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in May 2025 at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP)
The 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 US-made F-35 fighter jets, one of the world’s most advanced aircraft.
“They have been a great ally,” Trump said of the Saudis.
The Trump administration, however, has been wary about upsetting Israel’s “qualitative military advantage” over its neighbours, especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.
Another long-standing concern, which also derailed a potential similar sale to the United Arab Emirates, is that the F-35 technology could be stolen by or somehow transferred to China, which has close ties to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The announcement by Trump comes at a moment in which he’s trying to desperately persuade Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalise relations.
The F-35 fighter jet is one of the world’s most advanced warplanes. (Photo: The Age/Eddie Jim) (Nine)
He has talked up his push to extend his first-term 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 long-term stability to the Middle East as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to hold.
“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords very shortly,” Trump told reporters ahead of the Saudi royal’s US visit.
Yet Trump’s optimism that a US-brokered deal could come soon is tempered by more sobre internal assessments.
The 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 opposes.
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 Trump’s second term, according to three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
