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Speculations rife as Trump visits Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar

Speculations are rife as United States President Donald Trump begins his 3-day visit to Middle East with first halt in Saudi Arabia from where he will go to Qatar and then to the UAE

Monday May 12, 2025 10:00 PM, ummid.com News Network

[US President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in White House (March 2017 File)]

Speculations are rife as United States President Donald Trump begins his 3-day visit to Middle East with first halt in Saudi Arabia from where he will go to Qatar and then to the UAE.

Trump's Visit to Saudi Arabia

Trump is scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia Tuesday May 13, 2025. After a hectic and busy schedule in Saudi Arabia, Trump will visit Qatar on May 14 before ending his much anticipated foreign trip with a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 15, 2025.

After arriving in Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday, Trump will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump is then expected to attend a Summit of Gulf leaders in Riyadh on Wednesday May 14, before travelling to Qatar the same day, and then ending his three-day trip in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 15 May, according to BBC.

If Trump’s visit to The Vatican City to attend Pope Francis’ funeral is not taken into account, this is the U.S. President’s first foreign visit after becoming President for the second term.

This is also against the modern practice of U.S. presidents to start foreign trips with the UK, Canada or Mexico.

Interestingly, Saudi Arabia was the first country Trump visited during his first term as well.

Trump Agenda in Middle East

Ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump announced that he intends to make the Kingdom his first international destination to finalise an agreement for Riyadh to invest over $1 trillion in the US economy, which will be used for purchases of military equipment.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had in January this year already said that Saudi Arabia would invest $600bn (£450bn) in America over the next four years.

There are also reports that Trump will sign with Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion.

The package is expected to include a range of advanced military systems like: Drones - such as the MQ-9 Reaper, precision-guided munitions, advanced air, and missile defence systems, according to Reuters. If signed, it will be one of the largest military agreements of the current administration and a continuation of the deep defence ties between the two countries.

Important deals are also likely to be signed between the U.S. and Qatar during Trump's visit to the oil-rich state on May 14, 2025. However, one interesting highlight of Trump's Qatar visit is its plan to gift the U.S. President a luxury jet for Air Force One. According to CBS News, the plane billed as a "Flying Palace" would be donated to Trump's presidential library at the end of his term.

Meanwhile, the UAE has already committed to investing $1.4tn in the US over the next 10 years, in sectors such as AI, semiconductors, energy and manufacturing. This was announced by the White House in March after the UAE's national security advisor, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met President Trump in Washington.

Palestine on Agenda?

Besides a huge investment deal, Trump and Mohammed bin Salman are also likely to discuss the issue of Palestine and the Israeli genocide in Gaza though it has not been officially confirmed.

Trump’s visit to Middle East comes close on the heels of the deal United States signed with Houthi militants in Yemen, and the direct talks the Trump administration held with the Palestinian Resistance Group Hamas.

The ceasefire deal between the United States and the Houthis on May 06, 2025 was brokered by Oman, and signed, interestingly, without taking Israel into confidence.

Ahead of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE, Hamas has agreed to release U.S. hostage in a goodwill gesture. Edan Alexander, 20-yr-old American Israeli soldier, was taken captive on October 07, 2023 during the Operation Al Aqsa Storm.

It is widely speculated that the way Trump signed the ceasefire deal with Yemen’s Houthis, he could similarly make some surprising announcement regarding Palestine during his Saudi Arabia visit starting Tuesday.

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