The News
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday signed a defense deal worth an estimated $142 billion, according to the White House.
The agreement, inked on the first day of Trump’s Middle East tour, includes bolstering Saudi Arabia’s air and missile defense systems, as well as support for the kingdom’s coastal and border security, the White House said.
Trump’s trip to the Gulf is centered on “business business business,” as one analyst told NBC News. Still, diplomacy remains in focus: Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly meeting with Gaza negotiators in Qatar, and a possible stop by Trump in Turkey on Thursday, where peace talks are due to take place between Ukraine and Russia.
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