Trump says he is weighing Saudi request to buy F-35 fighter jets
‘They wanna buy a lot of jets,’ Trump tells reporters. ‘They’ve asked me to look at it.'
WASHINGTON
US President Donald Trump said Friday he is weighing a request by Saudi Arabia to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, days before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House on Nov. 18.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Riyadh expressed a strong interest in acquiring advanced US aircraft made by Lockheed Martin. “They wanna buy a lot of jets,” he said. “They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ‘35’ but they want to buy actually more than that fighter jets.”
The remarks came after Bloomberg, citing an administration official, said Trump and the crown prince are expected to reach an agreement enabling Saudi Arabia to buy the F-35s during the visit.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two also plan to sign economic and defense agreements, including a deal on liquefied natural gas purchases.
Trump said discussions will also cover broader diplomatic talks with Riyadh.
“The Abraham Accords will be a part,” he said. “We’re going to be discussing, I hope, that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords fairly shortly.”
