US President Donald Trump has spoken by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his first known communication with a foreign leader since taking office on Monday, CNN reported.
Saudi Arabia’s official news agency SPA also reported the call, saying bin Salman and Trump discussed “ways of cooperation between the kingdom and the United States to establish peace, security and stability in the Middle East region, as well as strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat terrorism.”
During the conversation, bin Salman explained to Trump that Saudi Arabia will spend $600.000 billion to expand investment and trade with the United States over the next four years, according to the Saudi state news agency.
However, the origin of these funds was not specified, whether they will come from public or private resources, or how they will be distributed.
Saudi Arabia was Trump's first international destination during his first term (2017-2021).
Speaking to reporters on Monday, just hours after taking office, the president said he would consider making Saudi Arabia his top foreign destination if the kingdom agreed to buy $500.000 billion worth of American goods, in line with his first term in office.
“I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450.000 billion worth of our products. I told them I would do it, but they had to buy American products, and they agreed to do that,” Trump recalled.
The call comes amid a complicated Middle East context, following the entry into force on Sunday of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that allowed the release of three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners.
The administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden (2021-2025), attempted to get Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize diplomatic relations, an attempt that was thwarted by the outbreak of the war in Gaza, following the attack by the Islamic terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Trump also tried to promote such normalization during his first term, achieving at that time the so-called Abraham Accords, which facilitated Israel's reconciliation with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
A possible understanding between Israel and Saudi Arabia could revolutionize the political landscape in the Middle East, motivating other Arab nations to follow the same path.
Saudi Arabia, which has significant geopolitical weight, led the oil embargo against countries that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and promoted the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, backed by the Arab League.
Saudi monarch Salman bin Abdulaziz, a staunch defender of Palestinian claims, also plays the role of guardian of the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina, the most important sites for Islam, followed for Sunni Muslims by the Al Aqsa Mosque located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, capital of the State of Israel.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article