Watch: Trump designates Saudi Arabia major non-NATO ally during Crown Prince visit

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, as he hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a gala dinner at the White House.

"Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that we're taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them," Trump said.

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"And I'm just telling you now for the first time, because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight," Trump said of the designation, which only 19 other countries have previously received. Watch the full clip here:

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Making his first White House visit in more than seven years, the crown prince was greeted with a lavish display of pomp and ceremony presided over by Trump on the South Lawn, complete with a military honor guard, a cannon salute and a flyover by US warplanes.

Trump said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia had agreed to invest $600 billion in the United States with the Saudi Crown Prince promising an increase in investment to $1 trillion.

Talks between the two leaders looked set to advance security ties, civil nuclear cooperation and multibillion-dollar business deals with the kingdom.

Trump told reporters that the two countries had reached a "defence agreement," without providing details, and that Saudi Arabia would buy advanced US-made F-35 fighter jets.

(With inputs from Reuters)