The day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at the White House, Trump confirms previous reports that the United States will sell F-35 planes to the country.
"We will do that. We will sell the F-35," he said at a press conference in the Oval Office on Monday, where he also praised Saudi Arabia for the long cooperation the countries have had.
Want US protection
According to the AP news agency, Mohammed bin Salman is believed to be requesting assurances that the United States will protect the country militarily, and a desire to purchase American fighter jets.
Israel currently has a military advantage over its neighbors, and questions have been raised from the American side about whether a deal could affect Israel's military strength. According to information provided to Axios this weekend, Israel will not make a deal difficult, but the country wants guarantees that a condition will be a normalization of relations between Israel and the Saudis.
Concerns in Israel
Trump also said on Friday that he hoped Saudi Arabia would "pretty soon" join the so-called Abraham Accords, a series of agreements to normalize relations with Israel, which several Muslim countries have signed.
According to the Israeli Haaretz, however, there is concern in the country that Trump will move forward with a deal without such a condition.
"The government's ties to the Saudi royal regime are so close that Trump could well give Riyadh this gift without demanding any immediate favors from Israel," the newspaper writes in an analysis.
