Trump Signals โคPotential F-35 Sale to Saudi Arabia, Challengingโค Long-Standing US Policy
WASHINGTON D.C. – โค In a move that breaks โคwith decades ofโค US policy, Presidentโข Donald Trump โคhas indicated his willingnessโฃ to sell advanced F-35 โfighter jets toโ Saudi Arabia. โThe announcement came ahead of an expectedโฃ visit to Washington โขby Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and signals a potential โฃshift in the balance of power in the Middle East. Currently, Israel is the sole operator of the F-35 in the โregion.
The United States has historicallyโ maintained a policyโข of providing Israel withโ a qualitativeโข military edge, ensuring โฃit retains itsโ regional superiority.โ Sellingโ the F-35 – a state-of-the-art stealth aircraft – to Saudi Arabia would represent a significant departure from thisโ doctrine. โAccording toโค reports, the Trump administration believes the sale isโค possibleโข with the consent of Israeli Prime Minister benjamin Netanyahu.
“They want to buy a lot of F-35s,โฃ but they also actually want moreโค than this fighter jet,” Trump told reporters, hinting at broader potential arms deals.
Saudi โArabia โhas long been a majorโ purchaser of US weaponry, consistently ranking as โthe โlargest buyer according to theโ Stockholmโ International peace Research Institute (Sipri). Tho,โ recent years have seen increased scrutiny from the US Congress regarding โฃarms sales โto the Kingdom, especially due toโฃ its involvement inโค the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
The potential saleโฃ also comes despite significant โdiplomatic tensions stemming from the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,โ a columnist forโฃ The Washington Post and vocalโ critic of theโข Saudi government.โ US intelligence agencies concluded that โขCrown prince Mohammed bin Salman, often referred โto asโฃ MBS, was likely โbehind the assassination, which โtook place at the Saudi consulateโค in Istanbul. Khashoggi’s body has never been โrecovered.
Despiteโข the controversy surrounding โขKhashoggi’s death, Trump has consistently maintained support for Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince Mohammed binโข Salman arrivedโฃ in riyadh on the evening before hisโค visit to Washington with โขa high-ranking delegation, according to โthe Saudi press agency SAP, anticipating discussionsโ regarding advanced โคweapons technology, โขincluding the F-35.
Source: โntv.de, lme/dpa (as originally reported)