Saudi foreign minister visits US to plan Trump visit to kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister arrived in the United States for an official visit aimed at planning U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected trip to the kingdom later this spring, a source close to the Saudi royal court told Reuters.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio the developments in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen as well as the Russian-Ukranian conflict, the Saudi foreign ministry reported without giving further details.

The Saudi foreign minister was expected to discuss the status of Yemen’s Houthis during meetings with U.S. government officials, the source said.

The trip was scheduled before last week’s U.S. tariffs announcement, the source added. Trump’s tariff offensive has rattled markets and raised fears of a global recession that could drive down the price of oil, Saudi Arabia’s main export.

Trump plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May to sign an investment agreement in what will be the first foreign trip of his second term, with stops also planned in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump made Saudi Arabia and Israel the initial stops on his inaugural foreign trip during his first term in 2017.

The U.S. president met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday and discussed a proposal for the U.S. to take control of Gaza.

Trump’s plan has been globally condemned, including by Saudi Arabia.
Trump also said on Monday he would like the war in Gaza to stop and he thinks that could happen relatively soon.

In Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia to the south, the United States has launched airstrikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis in an effort to force an end to the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

The airstrikes are the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January.