🔗 Share this article

Former President Trump has largely ignored the killing of columnist Khashoggi, describing him as an "highly divisive" individual that was not well-liked.

White House Talks with Saudi Crown Prince

The remarks were made throughout a presidential meeting alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, representing the prince's initial trip since the columnist's killing in Istanbul.

American spy agencies determined that the Saudi leader authorized the killing, but the former president stated that the crown prince "was unaware" about it.

Trump's Response to Journalist's Inquiry

Trump further rebuked the journalist who raised the topic, proposing that the broadcaster should lose its broadcasting rights.

"Many people did not like that man you're talking about," the former president stated. "Regardless of your opinion, incidents happened, yet he was unaware."

The crown prince stated, "It's painful and a major error, and we are striving to stop such incidents in future."

Economic Agreements and Defense Sales

The meeting also highlighted proposed Saudi investment in the US, initially billed as $600 billion, but subsequently raised to one trillion dollars.

Trump announced his intention to sell sophisticated F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Saudis, despite objections from the Israeli government as well as American spy agencies.

Both leaders additionally revealed discussions regarding a possible arrangement for the kingdom to establish relations with Israel conditional on a two-state solution.

Regional Concerns and Challenges

The planned sale of F-35s has sparked anxiety in Israel, that is the only operator of the stealth fighter in the Middle East.

US intelligence have expressed concern because of Saudi Arabia's strong security ties with Beijing, bringing up fears about intellectual property risks.

Nonetheless, the former president stated that the kingdom is entitled to the same top-level planes as the Israelis, pointing to them being "strong partners" of the United States.

Additional Arrangements

Alongside military transactions, administration representatives stated plans for multi-billion Saudi Arabian funding in America's artificial intelligence sector, plus greater partnership on atomic energy development.

"We confirm that we are increasing that $600 billion to almost one trillion," the Saudi leader declared.

Diplomatic Issues

The Trump team is aiming a nuclear and security arrangement with Saudi Arabia, that the current government previously pursued without success to finalize.

Yet, recent events, such as the October assault followed by subsequent bombardment in Palestinian territories, have complicated the likelihood of an agreement.

"Following the attacks, I think the conditions for the kingdom to sign up to relations with the Israelis has increased considerably," a one-time American diplomat remarked.

Future Discussions

"We desire to participate the Abraham Accords, however we additionally seek to guarantee a definite route for Palestinian sovereignty," the crown prince stated.

Trump echoed, saying, "We held an excellent discussion regarding normalization. We talked about various options."

"We covered about numerous issues in a short time. We will continue more details," Trump continued. "However, I believe you have a very good feeling for the Abraham Accords."

Controversy Regarding Commercial Links

The visit additionally controversial because of possible links between Trump's relatives commercial ventures with Gulf countries.

Trump dismissed the possibility of ethical concerns, stating he has "stepped away from his enterprises" while devoted "100% of his energy" to the presidency.

"I have nothing with the family business," he said. "Their business dealings is permissible. They work worldwide. They've done very little with Saudi Arabia, truthfully. I expect they could do a lot. Whatever they have undertaken has been successful."