Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said he wants his country to be part of the Abraham Accords, but also make sure to secure a path to a two-state solution," during his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
Trump addressed Saudi-Israeli normalization, saying he spoke with the crown prince about the Abraham Accords and that he received a positive response.
The US president also said that the US would sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Saudi Arabia 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 declared, referring to Saudi Arabia and Israel as great allies.
Trump also disclosed a possible civil nuclear deal with the Saudis, saying he can see one happening with the kingdom.
He also announced that MBS had agreed to invest $600 billion in the United States, with the Saudi Crown Prince promising to increase that to $1 trillion.
"I want to thank you because you've agreed to invest $600 billion into the United States, and because he's my friend, he might make it a trillion, but I'm gonna have to work on him," Trump said, referring to MBS. The crown prince, in response, said the kingdom would increase US investment to $1 trillion.
MBS' first visit to White House in seven years
Making his first White House visit in more than seven years, the crown prince was greeted with a lavish display of pomp and ceremony presided over by Trump on the South Lawn.
Talks between the two leaders are expected to advance security ties, civil nuclear cooperation, and multibillion-dollar business deals with the kingdom. But there will likely be no major breakthrough on Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel, despite pressure from Trump for such a landmark move.
The meeting underscores a key relationship -- between the world’s biggest economy and the top oil exporter -- that Trump has made a high priority in his second term as the international uproar around the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-critic, has gradually faded.
US intelligence concluded that MBS approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The crown prince denied ordering the operation but acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom's de facto ruler.
The warm welcome for MBS in Washington is the latest sign that relations have recovered from the deep strain caused by Khashoggi's murder.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.