According to the White House, it is now clear that Saudi Arabia is purchasing an as yet unknown number of American F-35 fighter jets and around 300 tanks to strengthen the country's own defense.
The sale has been on the table for some time, but critical voices have been heard from, among others, Israel.
Israel currently has a military advantage over its neighbors, and the United States has raised questions about whether a deal could affect Israel's military strength. According to information from Axios this weekend, Israel will not make a deal more difficult, but it wants guarantees that a condition will be a normalization of relations between Israel and the Saudis in accordance with the so-called Abraham Accords.
Concerns about China
According to CNN , however, Trump ultimately did not demand a normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel in order to sell the plan.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during the press conference after the meeting that he is willing to sign the agreements but that he first wants to see a clear plan for a Palestinian state.
There have been concerns from the American side that China, which is Saudi Arabia's main trading partner, will obtain important information about the technology in the plan, writes AFP.
In addition to the sale of F-35s and tanks, the countries have also agreed on more strategic defense cooperation where the US defense will have expanded opportunities to operate in the country.
The countries have also agreed on a multi-billion dollar nuclear energy agreement.
Celebrity guests
After the agreement, there was an invitation to a banquet at which Trump announced that Saudi Arabia is now one of only 20 countries seen as particularly important allies outside of NATO.
"I'm only saying it now, because they wanted to keep it a little secret until tonight," said the president.
The banquet was attended by several high-ranking business figures, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Also present were football star Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays in the Saudi league, and Gianni Infantino, president of the International Football Association Board, FIFA, and a close friend of Trump.
