Trump announces ambitious Middle East trip amid investment promises
President of the United States, Donald Trump, confirmed on Monday that his first foreign trip after taking office will be to Saudi Arabia, as well as Qatar and possibly other countries in the region. He stated that the decision was influenced by Saudi Arabia’s promise of significant investments in the U.S., and the trip may take place in May.
The President indicated that, similar to his first term, his first foreign visit will be to Saudi Arabia because according to him, Riyadh agreed to spend almost a trillion dollars on American companies.
"They’re going to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and giving them to American companies that are going to be making equipment for Saudi Arabia and other places in the Middle East," Trump said during the signing of orders in the Oval Office. He recalled the Saudis' January promise to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years.
Trump also announced that during the same trip, he will visit Qatar and possibly the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region. All these countries have also committed to making investments in the United States.
The date for this visit has not yet been officially determined. When asked whether it would happen next month, Trump replied that "it could be next month, maybe a little bit later."
According to the Axios portal, the Saudis are hoping the U.S. president's trip will occur after a truce between Russia and Ukraine is in place.
War in Ukraine: talks on a truce, Putin hesitates
In Saudi Arabia, discussions about the war in Ukraine and the potential truce are taking place. The outcome of these talks could significantly affect the future of the region. There is a strong desire to achieve a lasting ceasefire and address the technical issues related to the ongoing conflict.
"For too long now, America’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia," declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. He believes that the delay is due to insufficient pressure on Russia. He added that if it weren't for Russia's delay, an agreement on a truce might already be in place.
On Friday, Vladimir Putin suggested placing Ukraine under temporary administration before peace talks. He proposed that this administration could be implemented in Ukraine "under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends." This would lead to elections and the formation of a government to then begin talks on a peace treaty. The American side rejected this Kremlin plan.
Despite the Trump administration's declarations and attempts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, no significant breakthrough has been achieved so far.
