WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump plans to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May on his first trip abroad since his second term began in January, four people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
Topics likely to be discussed include Russia’s three-year-old war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and investments, they said. “The goal is in the realm of mid-May,” one person said.
The Gulf state has played a prominent role in US foreign policy, including hosting US ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine, and the White House has sought to add the Saudis to Arab states having signed the Abraham Accords with Israel.
“An opportunity for international travel for the president is something that is being looked at. We don’t yet have a specific plan, and we will provide that information when it is official,” a White House official said.
Trump has said he would likely travel to Saudi Arabia to seal an agreement for Riyadh to invest upwards of $1 trillion in the US economy, including purchases of military equipment.
He has noted the first overseas trip of his first term was to Riyadh in 2017 to announce Saudi investments estimated then to be worth $350 billion.
Poland to sign air defence deal with US worth almost $2 billion
Last week, Trump vowed to add more countries to the Abraham Accords, the series of normalization agreements his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term.
Trump said more countries want to join the accords. While the White House has singled out Saudi Arabia as a possible participant in the accords, the Saudis have qualms about Israel due to the Gaza war.