Saudi crown prince pledges $1tn investment in US during meeting with Trump

• President added US would sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Kingdom
• Prince Mohammed said discussions would revolve around multi-billion dollar investments in AI infrastructure

WASHINGTON: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office that the Kingdom will increase investments in the United States to $1 trillion, up from the $600 billion already pledged.

“I believe, Mr. President, today and tomorrow, we can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment, real investment, and real opportunity,” Prince Mohammed said during a press conference.

Trump also said on Tuesday the US would sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Kingdom in a similar arrangement it has with Israel.

“As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line (F-35s),” Trump said, adding that Saudi Arabia was a “very important” partner and ally.

The crown prince also said discussions with Trump and US officials during his visit would revolve around multi-billion dollar investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure, which he said fully aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy.

During their press conference, Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia wants to ensure regional security and establish relations with Israel, but only if there is a clear path toward a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” the crown prince said.

“We’re going to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible.

“We want peace for the Israelis. We want peace for the Palestinians. We want them to coexist peacefully in the region, and we will do our best to reach that date,” he added.

Trump also said he can see a civilian nuclear deal happening with the Kingdom and that he had reached a defense deal with Saudi Arabia.

When asked by Arab News about how the visit would bolster Saudi-US ties, Prince Mohammed said it was a relationship that could not be replaced.

“From the Saudi side, the American side, it’s a critical relationship, for our political (goals), economic (goals), for our security, for our military, for many things,” he said.

“The opportunities we have today are huge, and (the relationship) will get deeper over the next few decades,” he continued, before adding that it was a “huge new chapter to add value for both nations.”

The crown prince arrived at the White House in Washington earlier on Tuesday, where he was welcomed by Trump. US fighter jets flew over the White House as part of an official ceremony in honor of the crown prince.