- Friday, May 16, 2025
The highlights of this tour include a $200 billion order from Qatar Airways for Boeing jets and a $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia
By: India Weekly
US president Donald Trump on Friday (16) ended his Gulf tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates after signing a raft of multi-billion-dollar deals.
This includes securing a $1.4 trillion investment pledge from the UAE and an AI agreement that will see the UAE invest in US data centers.
Trump’s first foreign tour of his second term also saw the lifting of decades-long sanctions on Syria and renewed optimism over an Iran nuclear deal.
The highlights of this tour include a $200 billion order from Qatar Airways for Boeing jets and a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi investment includes nearly $142 billion in weapons, which the White House described as the largest-ever arms deal.
“I’m just thinking we have a president of the United States doing the selling,” Trump quipped, during a business roundtable alongside Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed.
“I think I have to be a cheerleader for our country,” he added.
On Thursday, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed lauded the strong partnership between the two countries that grew under Trump’s leadership.
The White House said the two countries had also signed business deals worth more than $200 billion, including a $60 billion partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and a $14.5 billion Etihad Airways order of Boeing planes.
The two countries have inked an AI agreement that will see the UAE invest in US data centers and commit to “further align their national security regulations with the United States, including strong protections to prevent the diversion of US-origin technology”.
The UAE is seeking to become a leader in technology, especially artificial intelligence, to help diversify its oil-reliant economy.
But these ambitions hinge on access to advanced US technologies, including AI chips under stringent export restrictions, which the UAE president’s brother and spy chief Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed reportedly lobbied for during a Washington visit in March.
Earlier this week, Trump rescinded further controls on AI chips, which were imposed by his predecessor to make it harder for China to access advanced technology.
For UAE, the deal is a major win as it has been trying to balance its relations with its longtime ally the US and its largest trading partner China.
During this trip, Trump was greeted with lavish welcomes and he hailed the three Arab leaders in return.
However, Qatar’s offering of a luxury aircraft for Trump is being seen by his Democratic opponents as blatant corruption. (Agencies)
