Trump says US will sell F-35 stealth jets to Saudi Arabia

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump said on Monday (Nov 17) the United States would sell F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, a day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House for talks.

“We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35s,” Trump told reporters when asked if Washington would agree to sell Riyadh the jets at Tuesday’s meeting. “They have been a great ally,” he added.

Riyadh has long been seeking to buy F-35 fighter jets, currently only owned by Israel in the Middle East.

Trump’s approval comes despite a New York Times report that US officials had raised concerns that superpower rival China could acquire the sophisticated warplane’s technology if the sale to Saudi Arabia went through.

The United States has so far only allowed the sales of F-35s to its closest allies, including a number of European Nato allies and Israel.

Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 programme in 2019 because Ankara’s purchase of a Russian air defence system sparked fears that Moscow could acquire the plane’s technology through the back door.

SEE ALSO

Saudi Arabia scales back salary premiums for foreign talent, recruiters say

The Saudi prince and de facto ruler is making his first US visit since the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents prompted worldwide outrage and briefly upended ties.

Prince Mohammed, who hosted Trump earlier this year, will press for security guarantees while Trump will urge him to normalise ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalisation at this stage. AFP