RIYADH — The United States and Saudi Arabia signed an arms agreement worth about $142 billion (14,200 crore) on Tuesday during a Saudi-U.S. investment forum in Riyadh attended by President Donald Trump, the White House said. Saudi Arabia also signed large-scale investment agreements with the United States the same day.
After the deals were signed, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the two friendly nations maintain a strong commercial relationship. Citing the $600 billion in investment commitments announced Tuesday, he said the figure would climb to $1 trillion (1,000 billion) in the months ahead.
Trump arrived in the Saudi capital earlier in the day on the first leg of a three-day Middle East tour and was welcomed by Mohammed bin Salman. The two leaders held a preliminary meeting before the agreements were signed at the investment forum. The White House said the day produced the “largest sale of military equipment in history” between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, the White House said the $142 billion arms package covers five areas: air force modernization and space capabilities, air and missile defense, maritime and coastal security, border security and ground forces modernization, and information and communications systems modernization.
The White House also said the agreement provides training for Saudi troops to expand the kingdom’s military capabilities and will fund development of Saudi military academies and medical services. Beyond the arms deal, the two countries also signed agreements on artificial intelligence, gas turbines, aircraft and other sectors.
After the signing, Trump called Mohammed bin Salman “an incredible man.” He described Saudi Arabia as a “wonderful place” with “wonderful people.”
Trump is scheduled to fly to Qatar on Wednesday after concluding his Saudi visit, then continue to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The president has no plans to visit close ally Israel during the Middle East tour, a decision that has raised questions about Israel’s standing on his priority list.
Although skipping Israel, Trump expressed interest in traveling to Turkey on Thursday, saying he might join talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. He has pushed aggressively to halt the fighting since taking office in January.
The U.S. president is also expected to discuss Iran’s nuclear program during the trip. U.S. and Iranian delegations met Saturday in the Omani capital, Muscat, on a possible nuclear agreement. Trump has previously warned that military action could follow if the diplomatic talks fail.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report