Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia: Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Worth of Agreements
Starting with Riyadh, the USA is renewing its strategic cooperation with the Gulf states. Talks were held with the new Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa
United States President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia has turned out to be a generous influx of Arab investment in big American businesses. This success significantly strengthened the political position of the 47th head of the White House domestically and gave additional impetus to the implementation of his MAGA program, Make America Great Again.
From US defense concerns that have signed contracts worth a total of $142 billion, to energy giants and the Boeing Aircraft Corporation, which will supply Qatar’s national airline, Qatar Airways, with 150 aircraft of various types, and US microchip manufacturers ready to assist Middle Eastern partners in creating advanced artificial intelligence systems: the rush of contract announcements has caused a pleasant buzz and a positive response in global markets and stock exchanges.
On the sidelines of Trump’s visit to Riyadh, the United States agreed to sell Saudi Arabia a nearly $142 billion arms package. According to a statement released by the White House, it is “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever entered into. The agreement covers arrangements with more than a dozen US defense companies and addresses areas such as air and missile defense, air and space force development, maritime security, and communications systems. “The package of agreements signed today marks the beginning of the largest defense cooperation in the history of the United States. It is a convincing indication of our commitment to strengthening the partnership,” the document emphasizes.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), an American multinational corporation specializing in cutting-edge semiconductors, announced a $10 billion agreement with Humain, a new Saudi Arabian artificial intelligence company. According to a released statement, the agreement includes building an infrastructure for artificial intelligence that will be “the most open, resilient, and efficient in the world thanks to a network of data centers.” AMD and Humain plan to invest up to $10 billion over the next five years to build 500 megawatts of capacity. AMD will supply semiconductors for a data center that the USA will build in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Humain.
In the energy sector, Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco has signed memorandums of agreement with US liquefied natural gas producer NextDecade and with the energy company Sempra for the supply of about 6.2 million tons of LNG. According to Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, the oil giant’s goal is to expand its presence in the US market: “Today, the United States generates nearly $100 billion in gas sales revenue, and that number is growing. The USA is a really good place to invest,” Nasser stressed during the Saudi-US investment forum held in Riyadh on Tuesday, May 13.
The multi-billion-dollar contracts will also come as Donald Trump visits neighboring Qatar, where Qatar Airways is preparing to announce a deal with US manufacturer Boeing to buy 150 planes. The US President will leave Saudi Arabia for a visit to Qatar on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 14. The announcement of a major new contract with Boeing comes shortly after news broke of a luxury Boeing 747 that Qatar’s royal family wants to gift to the Trump administration for use as the new Air Force One, an airplane designed to fly the US president. However, some Qatari officials told US news portal The Hill that “it is unlikely that the plane will be presented to Trump during his state visit to Doha.”
Speaking on international politics, Trump called on Gulf leaders to lead efforts to build a stable, peaceful, and prosperous region. In his speech at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh these days, Trump emphasized: “The entire world is watching the Middle East closely, with many looking at the region with envy. There’s something really special going on here.” In his speech, Trump criticized Iran, but also expressed his desire to reach an agreement on the nuclear program. “I have no eternal enemies,” the American president said, adding that Washington was “considering normalizing relations” with Syria’s new government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The statement came a day after the USA announced it was lifting American sanctions against Syria, a move that Trump called “necessary to give Syria a chance.” Trump held a private meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday morning, May 14, which was also attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who connected via video link from Ankara.
A statement released by White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt emphasized that Trump called on Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, to “normalize relations with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords.” For his part, Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the Trump administration’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria and expressed willingness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia for the sake of peace in the country. The Saudi leader characterized the White House’s decision as “courageous.” Trump thanked Erdogan and Mohammed bin Salman for their friendship and, referring to al-Sharaa, emphasized that “an amazing opportunity” had opened up to carry out “something historic” for Syria. The US President called on al-Sharaa to act for the benefit of the Syrian people and proposed five concrete steps: join the Abraham Accords with Israel; expel foreign terrorists from the country; deport Palestinian militants; cooperate with the United States to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State; take responsibility for terrorist detention centers in northeastern Syria.
According to the White House, al-Sharaa thanked the leaders for their initiative and recognized the opportunities presented by the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Syrian territory. He also noted common interests with Washington in fighting terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons. Syria’s interim president reaffirmed his commitment to upholding the 1974 Israel-Syria Power Sharing Agreement and expressed hope that Syria could become a strategic hub in East-West trade routes. In conclusion, he urged US companies to invest in Syria’s oil and gas sector. The meeting also discussed the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, ahead of a crucial round of talks in Istanbul, Turkey, and the situation in Gaza.
