Trump starts pompous trip to Saudi Arabia: 600 billion in view!

Trump starts pompous trip to Saudi Arabia: 600 billion in view!

Riad, Saudi-Arabien - President Donald Trump today chose Saudi Arabia as the first stop of his official trip abroad in the second term. This visit is of great importance, since Saudi Arabia is not only a strategically important partner for the United States, but also appears as an important oil producer, armaments and investor. Trump arrived at the airport in Riyadh, where he was welcomed by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and a magnificent reception by Saudi-Arabic fighter jets, reports . .

The reception continued in the royal palace, where a riding guard and numerous Saudi Arabian government and business representatives were waiting for Trump. The president was accompanied by a delegation of cabinet members and prominent business people, including Elon Musk and IBM and Alphabet managers. Trump and Bin Salman signed an economic contract that includes a number of agreements, including the cooperation in the energy sector and the modernization of the Saudi armed forces.

economic focus of the trip

The trip is strongly geared towards economic issues, with Trump striving for strategic investments and cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has promised investments of $ 600 billion in the United States over the next four years. In addition to cooperation in technologies of artificial intelligence and energy, agreements in the defense area are also being planned.

A converted Jumbojet of the Boeing 747-8 type is to be handed over as a gift from Qatar to Trump. These gestures and the signing of agreements clarify that the topics of business and trade are the focus of the discussions. Political crises in the golf region, in particular the Gaza conflict and the nuclear threat from Iran, are also discussed, if not taking a broad space.

political contexts and challenges

A central topic that circulates in the background is the agreement with Hamas, which was made without Israeli participation. Trump described this as "monumental news" and hopes to be able to put pressure on the Israeli government in order to achieve an agreement to terminate the Gaza war. According to expert assessment, his relationship with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deteriorated due to disagreements. During this trip, no planned stop was made in Israel, which is considered a sign of tense relationships.

The situation is also underpinned by warnings of the Iranian general staff, which appeals to possible aggression while Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia appeals to keep neighboring countries neutrality. In the meantime, negotiations between the United States and Iran are on the nuclear program in which Trump threatened with military measures if the diplomatic efforts should fail.