Saudi Crown Prince MBS Arrives At White House, Abraham Accords, F-35’s and Sudan War To Be Discussed

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived at the White House on Tuesday for high-level talks with US President Donald Trump, receiving a ceremonial welcome on the South Lawn before a day of intensive diplomacy.

According to multiple Arab and Western diplomats cited by Reuters, the crown prince — widely known as MBS — intends to press Trump to personally intervene to help end Sudan’s devastating civil war. The conflict, now in its third year, erupted in 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, leaving widespread destruction, ethnic massacres, and mass displacement.

The sources say MBS believes Trump’s direct involvement is needed to break the deadlock, noting Trump’s recent role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza. The US president is also expected to push the Saudi leader to normalize relations with Israel.

Both warring Sudanese factions have escalated their use of drones in recent months, causing soaring civilian casualties. Saudi Arabia’s appeal appears aimed at Trump’s view of himself as a global dealmaker, with the president having repeatedly highlighted his hopes of winning a Nobel Peace Prize.

The Saudi government did not immediately comment. Middle East Eye previously reported Riyadh’s intention to raise Sudan during the visit. The US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are all part of the “Quad,” a diplomatic coalition meant to resolve the Sudan crisis, though progress has been limited.

For Saudi Arabia, the war poses a strategic threat, with Sudan’s Red Sea coastline lying opposite the kingdom’s western shore.

This trip marks MBS’s first visit to the US since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, a murder that drew global condemnation. US intelligence later concluded the crown prince approved the operation. While MBS denied ordering the killing, he accepted responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler. His warm reception in Washington underscores how relations have since been restored.

During the visit, MBS will meet Trump in the Oval Office, lunch with him in the Cabinet Room, and attend a formal black-tie dinner.

The White House is also expected to advance major defense and economic agreements. Trump said Monday that the US will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia for the first time, after the kingdom requested 48 aircraft. The deal could shift the regional balance of power, as Israel is currently the only Middle Eastern country operating F-35s — a key pillar of its US-backed “qualitative military edge.”

Saudi Arabia is also seeking security guarantees, AI technology, and progress toward a civilian nuclear program. Trump is hoping to follow through on a Saudi investment pledge reportedly worth $600 billion.

A senior White House official told Reuters: “The Saudis will be spending a lot of money tomorrow on the US,” while confirming upcoming deals in technology, manufacturing, and defense.

Former US Mideast negotiator Dennis Ross said Trump sees the visit as an opportunity to lock Riyadh more tightly into the US orbit and away from China. “President Trump believes all these steps bind the Saudis increasingly to us on a range of issues, ranging from security to the finance-AI-energy nexus. He wants them bound to us on these issues and not China,” Ross said.

Trump is also expected to push for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords. The kingdom has so far refrained from normalization with Israel, insisting on tangible progress toward Palestinian statehood — a goal complicated by the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.