Donald Trump has begun his first official trip of his second term by signing a $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
The White House described the agreement as ‘the largest defence cooperation deal in history’ between the two countries. The package involves more than a dozen US companies in key sectors such as air defence, missiles and advanced technology. It also provides for collaboration between the Saudi Interior Ministry and the FBI, extending security cooperation beyond the military sphere.
Trump was welcomed in Riyadh with an ostentatious ceremony, which included a lavender carpet — a Saudi national symbol since 2021 — and an equestrian guard of honour led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In his opening speech to an investment forum, the president called Saudi Arabia the United States’ “strongest partner” and expressed his “fervent desire” for the Kingdom to join the Abraham Accords, although he acknowledged that this would depend on progress towards a Palestinian state and an end to the conflict in Gaza.
A historic shift towards Syria
One of the biggest surprises of the trip was Trump’s announcement that all US sanctions on Syria would be lifted. This move represents a drastic shift in Washington’s policy after more than a decade of isolating Damascus, which began with the civil war under Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Now, with Assad’s fall and a new government in charge, Trump declared that the time has come to ‘give them a chance at greatness.’
The president even met with the new Syrian president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, despite the fact that he was previously designated a terrorist for his links to al-Qaeda. Although the decision has caused discomfort within some sectors of his administration and opposition from allies such as Israel, Trump said he made the decision after being encouraged by Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Business alliances
Trump was accompanied by a delegation of senior US executives, reflecting his interest in strengthening economic ties. Among those present were Elon Musk — who, despite announcing that he would reduce his involvement in politics, continues to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI), Larry Fink (CEO of BlackRock), Stephen Schwarzman (CEO of Blackstone) and Jensen Huang (CEO of Nvidia).
During the event, it was announced that Nvidia will sell more than 18,000 artificial intelligence chips to the Saudi company Humain, in line with the kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy beyond oil.
In addition to the arms deal, a Saudi investment commitment in the United States of up to $600 billion was highlighted, in what Trump described as ‘the rebirth of American wealth.’ In his view, economic development is the key to stabilising the region. ‘A new generation of leaders is overcoming old conflicts and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos,’ he explained.
Regional challenges
Despite the optimistic tone, Trump did not ignore the tensions that persist in the region. He reiterated his condemnation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and offered an ‘olive branch’ to negotiate an end to its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. However, he warned that his offer has a limited time frame. ‘The situation is accelerating. They have to act now,’ he stressed.
The president had little to say about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, although he expressed his desire for ‘the people of Gaza to have a better future,’ blaming Hamas for ‘holding back peace’ with its violent actions since 7 October 2023.
Trump also claimed that Washington had defeated the Houthis in Yemen militarily after more than 1,100 air strikes, declaring that their mission had been accomplished and that troops had withdrawn after ‘achieving what they set out to do.’
Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates sets the tone for his foreign policy in his second term: massive economic deals, reconciliation with former adversaries and an attempt to consolidate his image as the architect of a new order in the Middle East.
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