From the moment Air Force One landed in King Khalid Airport early yesterday morning, the close relationship US President Donald Trump enjoys with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman was on full display. MbS sidestepped protocols and was the first to welcome Trump himself on the lavender carpet, before they both headed to Al Yamamah Palace.

The warm relationship extended to the delegates. The two leaders spent close to an hour shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with a long line of Saudi and US government officials and business leaders. US secretaries and White House advisors were present. Top executives from BlackRock, Citigroup, Google, Nvidia, Amazon, OpenAI, Boeing, and many more US companies were there. Elon Musk — richest man in the world and Trump’s close confidant — spent a little extra time chatting with MbS and The Donald, with wide smiles on everyone’s faces.

“We have the biggest business leaders in the world here. They’re going to walk away with a lot of checks for a lot of things that you’re going to provide,” Trump said to MbS during a side talk, claiming the agreements signed during his 24-hour stay would create an estimated 2 mn jobs in the US.

A COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP-

The summit soon moved on to the big announcement: a comprehensive strategic and economic partnership agreement that included a defense pact valued at a whopping USD 140 bn — touted as the largest in history. The pact will provide the Kingdom with a wide range of weapons and services from over a dozen American defense firms.

The package spans air force and space, maritime security, border security and land forces modernization, as well as communication technology. It also includes extensive training and support for the Saudi armed forces by developing service academies and the military’s medical capabilities.

The partnership also included:

  • a letter of intent to enhance joint cooperation on ammunition, training, maintenance, and support services for the Ministry of the National Guard;
  • an MoU on energy cooperation between the US Department of Energy and the Saudi Ministry of Energy;
  • a separate MoU on mining and mineral resources;
  • an MoU between the Interior Ministry and the FBI;
  • an amendment to the Air Transport Agreement now allows airlines to carry cargo between third countries without transiting through their home countries;
  • NASA and the Saudi Space Agency agreed to deploy a Saudi CubeSat on NASA’s Artemis II mission;
  • a cooperation MoU between justice ministries,
  • an MoU for cooperation on infectious disease control and biodiversity conservation;
  • cultural partnerships between the Royal Commission for AlUla and the Smithsonian Institution.

TRUMP HAILS A NEW REGION-

Trump picked Riyadh for his first international visit a second time around, except everyone seemed to note this is a different Riyadh than the one he landed in the first time in 2017. From highly-developed infrastructure, to towering skyscrapers, to the more intricate, highly-advanced digital services, signs of rapid social and economic transformation under Vision 2030 were unmistakable.

The President made sure to reiterate over and over how much he admired the results. During his speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum, he showered the Crown Prince with praise for what he managed to accomplish, calling him a “friend” and an “incredible man,” who is “representing the best country in the world.”

Not only Riyadh is different this time around, though. The whole region has gone through big transformations that saw new leaders assume control in Syria after Assad’s fall, and in Lebanon after the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah severely weakened the militant group.

Trump laid the entire blame on Iran as the destabilizing force in the region, ranting about how it funded terrorism and bloodshed in Syria and elsewhere, before extending an “olive branch” and showing willingness to reach an agreement. If Tehran were to reject, the US would have “no choice” but maximum pressure by ramping up sanctions and targeting oil exports.

In contrast, he hailed Riyadh’s role as a broker for peace and stability in the region and beyond, commending its efforts in de-escalating conflicts from Ukraine and Sudan to India-Pakistan and Yemen, as well as its support for political solutions, energy market stability, and regional security. “Think of us as an unstoppable team,” he said to the audience, calling for Riyadh and the GCC to unite their efforts and push for resolving all conflicts.

BUT- The President opted to keep talk of normalization with Israel brief, as most analysts expected. He reiterated his “fervent hope” that Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham accords, but acknowledged that the Kingdom would do so in its “own time”.

Sanctions on Syria lifted: Perhaps the big announcement was the full cessation of the longstanding — and crippling — US sanctions on Syria “in order to give them a chance at greatness.” Trump is also set to “say hello” today with Syria’s new leader Ahmed Al Sharaa, while Secretary of State Mark Rubio will meet his Syrian counterpart in Turkey soon. He framed the rapprochement as a courtesy to the Crown Prince, who has been mounting a global campaign to shore up support for — and engagement with — the new government in Damascus.

The President also expressed support for Lebanon’s new leadership, calling it the first real opportunity in decades for stronger US partnership, and promised Secretary Rubio will lead discussions that will pave the way for supporting Lebanon in pursuing economic development, in a bid to overcome its crippling crisis.

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