Saudi Crown Prince Plans Washington Visit for AI, Defence Talks with Trump

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is scheduled to visit Washington in November for a three-day trip, during which he will meet with US President Donald Trump. The meeting, set for November 18, will focus on signing agreements related to artificial intelligence, defence, nuclear cooperation, and trade. This visit marks the crown prince's first trip to the US since 2018 and follows a fragile Gaza ceasefire brokered by President Trump that has been positively received by Saudi Arabia. While normalisation of relations with Israel is expected to be discussed, it is unlikely to happen immediately, with Saudi Arabia maintaining its stance that Israel must recognize Palestinian statehood before normalization. The visit also follows President Trump's May Gulf tour and aims to finalise a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. Prior to the Gaza war, Saudi Arabia had engaged in tentative talks with the US on normalizing ties with Israel in exchange for security and energy guarantees, but these were paused due to the conflict.