
US President Donald Trump might visit Saudi Arabia as soon as next month, he told reporters at the White House today, in what could be his first overseas trip since his return to power.
鈥淚t could be next month, maybe a little bit later. And we鈥檙e going to Qatar, also, and also we鈥檙e going to possibly a couple of other countries. UAE is very important ... so we鈥檒l probably stop at UAE and Qatar.鈥
He said Saudi officials had agreed to 鈥渟pend close to a trillion dollars ... in our American companies, which to me means jobs鈥.
The US companies will be making equipment for Saudi Arabia and other places in the Middle East, the President continued, adding: 鈥淎nd for that, I think it鈥檚 worth it鈥.
In January, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised to pile US$600 billion ($1t) into US trade and investments.
Trump鈥檚 first visit as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia. Photo / Getty Images
Saudi press reports at the time did not give details of the source of the funds, which represent more than half of Saudi GDP, or how they are expected to be used.
Trump鈥檚 first visit as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia.
He forged close relations with Riyadh in his first term and is expected to push Saudi Arabia, home of Islam鈥檚 holiest sites, towards normalising ties with Israel as a major foreign policy objective.
On Monday, Trump said he has a 鈥渧ery good relationship with the Middle East鈥.
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-Agence France-Presse
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