Trump: US backs F-35 stealth jets sale to Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump said Monday the United States would sell F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, a day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House for talks which is the first visit since 2018.

"We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35s," Trump told reporters when asked if Washington would agree to sell Riyadh the jets at Tuesday's meeting. "They've been a great ally," he added.

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Riyadh has long been seeking to buy F-35 fighter jets, currently only owned by Israel in the Middle East.

Israeli officials have voiced concern about a sale of the planes to Saudi Arabia, despite a push for the kingdom to normalise relations. In another area of past contention, a source familiar with negotiations said that Trump and the prince would sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation.

Saudi Arabia says it is not seeking nuclear weapons and it recently entered an enhanced defense partnership with Pakistan, a nuclear power.

The United States has so far only allowed the sales of F-35s to its closest allies, including a number of European NATO allies and Israel.

Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program in 2019 because Ankara's purchase of a Russian air defense system sparked fears that Moscow could acquire the plane's technology through the back door.

Prince Mohammed, who hosted Trump earlier this year, will press for security guarantees while Trump will urge him to normalise ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalisation at this stage.