Crown Prince’s US Visit: Solidifying Saudi Arabia’s Global Leadership
The Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, has concluded a landmark visit to the US, heralding a new chapter in the Saudi-US strategic partnership.
The two-day visit was marked not only by high-level pageantry and major bilateral agreements, but also by a strong showcase of the deepening ties between the Kingdom and the US.
It also highlighted Riyadh’s growing position as a global architect in politics, economics and emerging technologies.
Crown Prince’s US Visit
The depth of Saudi-US relations was evident in the lavish welcome that the Crown Prince received during his official working visit to the White House on November 18, 2025.
Upon his arrival, US President Donald Trump received the Crown Prince with a warm personal welcome. The reception ceremony was full of pomp and pageantry, including a red carpet, a military band, and firing cannons.
It also featured a Cavalry Guard parade and a military flyover by a formation of F-35 and F-16 fighter jets.
This was followed by a formal dinner at the White House, featuring high-profile guests, to honor the Saudi Crown Prince.
Upon his departure, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable of thanks to Trump, expressing appreciation for “the warm welcome and generous hospitality” he and his accompanying delegation received during the visit.
Moreover, he said that the visit emphasized the “deep-rooted historical and strategic relations” between Riyadh and Washington, adding that the two countries will continue cooperation to further strengthen ties across all fields.
Close Bond
Throughout the two-day visit, Trump hailed the “unprecedented progress” achieved in the Saudi-US relations, thanks to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, describing the past 9 months as the best phase in bilateral ties.
The relations between Saudi Arabia and the US stretch back over 80 years, growing ever more robust after the historic meeting between Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz bin Saud and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard the US Navy cruiser USS Quincy in Suez Canal on February 14, 1945.
The ties have developed over the years, strengthening the strategic alignment between the Kingdom and the US. Importantly, the massive transformation in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030 has elevated the Kingdom’s status to a key regional player and a reliable partner.
"The friendship & blessings to America, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, & to the world, stand out & will always stand out to me.
We have an expression: Make America Great Again, & that’s what we’re doing. I just want to thank you for being a very big part of it." – POTUS 🇺🇸🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/fvTcwAjkgg
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 19, 2025
By choosing Saudi Arabia to be his first foreign destination during his first and second terms in office, President Trump acknowledged Riyadh’s growing significance as a central player in regional and international dynamics.
On many occasions, Trump commended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership, praising him as an “incredible man” and a “great ally.”
Defense Cooperation
During a bilateral summit at the White House, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump underscored their deep commitment to the historic bonds of friendship and the strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US.
This included a number of key agreements to bolster defense cooperation. Following the meeting, the two leaders signed a “historic” Saudi-US Strategic Defense Agreement that strengthens the bilateral defense partnership and bolsters deterrence across the Middle East.
Furthermore, Trump approved a major defense sale package, including future F-35 deliveries, in addition to securing an agreement for Saudi Arabia to purchase nearly 300 American tanks.
In another major announcement, Trump designated Saudi Arabia as a “major non-NATO ally,” in a significant boost for defense cooperation between the two countries.
“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’s very important to them,” Trump announced during the black-tie dinner.
He also said that Washington will provide Riyadh with the best US military equipment.
Economic Partnership
In May 2025 – during Trump’s visit to Riyadh – Saudi Arabia pledged $600 billion in US investments. While in Washington, the Saudi Crown Prince announced plans to increase investment commitments to $1 trillion, in a major expansion for the bilateral partnership.
The Crown Prince’s visit to the US culminated in a series of key economic and technology-focused agreements. These included the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, an AI Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and a Critical Minerals Framework, in addition to a number of agreements to expand economic partnership, enhance investment opportunities and reduce trade barriers.
Saudi-US Investment Forum
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Trump took part in the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The Forum brought together senior government officials, investors, and CEOs of major companies.
In his speech, the Crown Prince said that Saudi Arabia and the US have laid the foundations of a historic strategic partnership during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2025.
This strategic partnership is based on growth, economic diversification and innovation, he added, pointing to the signing of the strategic economic partnership agreement to facilitate cooperation between both countries.
Moreover, the Saudi Crown Prince touted the signing of new investment projects, including in the sectors of defense, energy, AI, critical minerals, and finance, which would create more jobs and drive economic growth in the two countries.
Major Investment Deals
According to the Saudi Investment Minister, Khalid Al-Falih, the Forum saw the signing of multiple agreements and MoUs valued at approximately $270 billion. This brings the total value of bilateral deals and investments between Saudi and American firms to $575 billion.
In a strategic move that reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s status as an emerging global AI hub, CEO of xAI, Tesla, and X, Elon Musk, announced a landmark agreement to build a colossal, 500-megawatt AI data center in the Kingdom, in collaboration with Saudi HUMAIN.
Nvidia will power the new data center with hundreds of thousands of the company’s advanced Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Furthermore, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced plans for a 100-megawatt data center dedicated to Amazon Web Services.
In addition, HUMAIN announced other groundbreaking agreements during the Forum. These involved a joint venture with AMD and Cisco to build up to 1 gigawatt of AI infrastructure by 2030, starting with a 100 MW deployment.
HUMAIN also announced a global strategic partnership with Adobe to build AI models designed for the Arab world, and an expanded collaboration with AWS to deploy NVIDIA GPUs in a dedicated “AI Zone” in Riyadh.
In terms of energy, the CEO of Saudi state oil giant Aramco, Amin Nasser, said that the Kingdom would sign $30-billion energy agreements with the US.
Also, the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) and the US company MP Materials, in partnership with the US Defense Department, finalized a deal to build a rare earths refinery in the Kingdom, in order to expand critical mining processing in the Middle East.
Sudan Conflict
Given the Kingdom‘s established status as a key regional player and a global peacemaker, the Saudi Crown Prince discussed the most pressing regional and international issues with the US President.
The outcomes of the visit underscore Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s influential role as the region’s foremost champion of peace and stability.
Sudan was a central focus of the two leaders’ talks, prompting Trump to make a pivotal decision regarding the war-torn country. At the request of the Crown Prince, Trump decided to work on ending the conflict in Sudan.
“I settled eight wars and I tell you, his Majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan. It was not on my charts to be involved in that. I thought it was just crazy and out of control,” Trump said during the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
“But I just see how it is important to you and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan. And we’re going to start working on Sudan,” the US President announced.
Shortly after, Trump said that “tremendous atrocities” are taking place in Sudan, adding that the situation “can be fixed with the cooperation and coordination of Countries,” he posted on Truth Social.
“We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan,” he noted.
Gaza & Syria
The developments in Gaza were also on the agenda. Trump mentioned the ceasefire agreement and the adoption of a US-drafted resolution at the UN Security Council to advance the next phases of his 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
In the light of this, he invited the Saudi Crown Prince to join the Board of Peace, which will oversee the transitional government and the reconstruction of Gaza.
“I believe we’re going to be lucky enough to have the Crown Prince be a very distinguished member of the Board … in the coming months, the Crown Prince and I are going to ensure that the ceasefire and everything else is going on that so positive in the Middle East,” Trump said.
Moreover, the US President praised the progress made in Syria since he decided to lift sanctions at the request of the Saudi Crown Prince.
“And I think Syria has made tremendous progress,” Trump said during his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. “We did lift the sanctions at the request of the Crown Prince,” he added.
