FLORIDA: United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is considering agreeing to a deal to supply Saudi Arabia with F-35 stealth fighter jets, which are made by Lockheed Martin.
“They wanna buy a lot of jets,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I’m looking at that. They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ‘’35’—but they want to buy actually more than that, fighter jets.”
The potential sale comes as Trump plans to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House next week, when they are expected to sign economic and defence agreements.
Asked about the talks, Trump told reporters it was “more than meeting, we’re honoring” Saudi Arabia.
He repeated that he hoped Saudi Arabia would soon join the Abraham Accords, which have normalised relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations.
Riyadh has resisted such a step absent agreement on a roadmap to Palestinian statehood.
A Pentagon intelligence report has raised concerns over the potential F-35 deal, warning that China could acquire the aircraft’s technology if the sale proceeds, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the assessment.
Trump and the crown prince may also discuss a US-Saudi defence agreement. The Financial Times reported about a month ago that there were hopes the two countries could sign such an agreement during Salman’s visit.
The Saudis have sought formal US guarantees to defend the kingdom as well as access to more advanced US weaponry.
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for US arms, and the two countries have maintained strong ties for decades based on an arrangement in which the kingdom delivers oil and Washington provides security.
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