Trump in Saudi Arabia: record arms contracts and AI billions!

Trump in Saudi Arabia: record arms contracts and AI billions!

US President Donald Trump began his first major foreign trip of his second term in office to the Gulf States on May 13, 2025. The starting point of his journey was Saudi Arabia, where he was greeted with a warm welcome by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the airport in Riyadh. To mark the occasion, Saudi Arabian fighter jets also flew over the skies of Riyadh, underlining the pompous reception. Trump's trip is focused on strengthening economic ties and he will be accompanied by key Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as entrepreneur Elon Musk. During his visit, comprehensive arms agreements worth $142 billion (127.4 billion euros) were signed. Saudi Arabia will receive “state-of-the-art combat equipment” from the US, including air and sea defense systems as well as border protection measures and the training of Saudi soldiers. In particular, the kingdom plans to acquire US F-35 fighter jets.

In addition to the arms supply, Saudi Arabia announced $20 billion in investments in artificial intelligence. Trump emphasized the “strategic partnership for economic prosperity”, which is linked to investment commitments totaling 600 billion dollars (approx. 538 billion euros). These also include older investments in order to keep the total number of commitments constant. Trump had previously called for an increase in investments to “around a trillion” dollars in January, but Saudi Arabia did not implement this to the extent required.

Pompous reception and visions of the future

Trump's reception at the Royal Palace was another highlight of his visit, which was accompanied by a cavalry guard. In addition to the signed arms contracts, agreements were also sealed in areas such as energy, justice and customs, as well as cooperation between the Smithsonian Museum and Saudi institutions. Trump called bin Salman a friend and highlighted commitments to invest in the US, which is intended to reaffirm the strategic partnership.

The trip will also take Trump to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. During his stay, he will attend a summit of Gulf states and appear at an investor forum. Trump has also said he would lift sanctions on Syria to give the country a chance for stability, which could ease geopolitical tensions in the region. It is noteworthy that no stopover in Israel is planned, which is due to Trump's previous efforts in the Gaza conflict.

Saudi Arabia has recently also been the venue for negotiations regarding the Ukraine conflict between Russia, Ukraine and the USA. There are also talks about Iran's nuclear program and a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. A ceasefire agreement with the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen was also agreed in this context.

Amid these diplomatic activities, Iran's chief of staff warns of possible aggression during Trump's visit and calls for the neutrality of neighboring countries. With a clear focus on economic and security cooperation, Trump's trip demonstrates the complexity and interdependence of the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.

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