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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived at the White House on Tuesday for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, where the two leaders are expected to sign a broad set of bilateral agreements.
Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de factor ruler, was feted by a welcome ceremony befitting a king as jets flew in V formation over the White House, cannons fired and the U.S. Marine Corps band played. Trump greeted bin Salman at the South Portico before the leaders entered the executive mansion.
They are expected to ink several bilateral agreements, including the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to the kingdom, as well as business and other deals.
The visit is bin Salman’s first in over seven years.
The U.S.-Saudi relationship had been sent into a tailspin by the ruthless killing of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, that U.S. intelligence agencies later determined Prince Mohammed likely directed the agents to carry out.
But seven years later, the dark clouds over the relationship have been cleared away. And Trump has tightened his embrace of the 40-year-old crown prince he views as an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come. Prince Mohammed, for his part, denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident.
Khashoggi will likely be an afterthought as the two leaders unveil billions of dollars in deals and huddle with aides to discuss the tricky path ahead in a volatile Middle East. They’ll end their day with an evening White House soiree, organized by first lady Melania Trump, to honor the prince.
“They have been a great ally,” Trump said of the Saudis on the eve of the visit.
Trump’s family has a strong personal interest in the kingdom. In September, London real estate developer Dar Global announced that it plans to launch Trump Plaza in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
It’s Dar Global’s second collaboration with the Trump Organization, the collection of companies controlled by the U.S. president’s children, in Saudi Arabia. Last year, the two companies announced the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah.
