Overview
- A White House official confirmed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will hold a working meeting with President Donald Trump on November 18.
- U.S. and Saudi officials have discussed signing a defense agreement during the visit, with a senior official saying the details remain in flux.
- Riyadh publicly maintains that any normalization with Israel requires a clear pathway to an independent Palestinian state.
- In a CBS 60 Minutes interview, Trump said he expects Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords and suggested he could push for movement on the Palestinian question.
- The talks follow renewed U.S.–Saudi security engagement, including a reported $142 billion arms package agreed during Trump’s May trip, after normalization efforts were paused following the October 7, 2023 attack.