Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s long-awaited visit to Washington — his first in seven years — comes with both Riyadh and Washington seeking to steer the talks toward their own agendas. While Saudi aims to secure a US defense pact, a civilian nuclear program, and F-35 fighter jets, US President Donald Trump seems to be bent on pushing towards Saudi joining the Abraham Accords during the visit reportedly scheduled for 18 November.

Saudis want a defense pact: Saudi officials are steering discussions toward assistance for a civilian nuclear program and a new US-Saudi defense pact — an arrangement expanding cooperation on advanced technology, military training, and security coordination, Reuters reported yesterday. The pact, modeled after a US-Qatar framework, stops short of the full, Congress-ratified treaty Riyadh initially sought, but could include provisions allowing future administrations to elevate it into a treaty.

A stepping stone: The pact, which could evolve into a broader security framework, would also fast-track arms sales and deepen defense industry collaboration, though it might include conditions limiting Saudi technology partnerships with China. “It’s not the treaty they want — they might not see it as perfect, but it’s a stepping stone.” David Makovsky of the Washington Institute told the newswire.

A centerpiece of the visit could also be a potential sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to the Kingdom — a transaction worth bns of USD that is currently under review from the Pentagon. Lockheed Martin CEO Joseph Rank confirmed last week that once approved, the company would deliver the jets and localize up to 60% of manufacturing in the kingdom under Vision 2030’s defense industrialization goals.

.. and Trump eyes normalization with Israel: Trump has been vocal about his wish for the Kingdom to join the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco (and most recently Kazakhstan) in the Abraham Accords, expressing confidence that the Kingdom will “very soon” normalize ties with Israel now that a Gaza ceasefire is in place.

Riyadh does not seem to be budging: The official stance remains that no normalization will go forward without a credible roadmap to Palestinian statehood. Saudi government representatives have reportedly conveyed this stance through diplomatic channels ahead of the visit, insisting on “alignment” with Washington before any public statements are made, two unnamed sources told the newswire. Chances of progress appear to be dim as long as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains staunchly opposed to Palestinian statehood.

AND- The Saudi public appears to be overwhelmingly against the step: The most recent poll in December 2023 showed that 96% of Saudis are in favor of cutting all ties with Israel as protest against the Gaza war.

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