By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-30 23:41:11 | Updated at 2025-04-01 17:51:30
1 day ago
US President Donald Trump is planning to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May on his first foreign trip of his second term, Axios reported on Sunday, citing two US officials and a source with knowledge of the president’s travel.
Saudi Arabia has been taking a more prominent role in US foreign policy. The country has hosted talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine as Trump seeks a ceasefire to the war and the White House has singled out the country as a possible participant in the Abraham Accords.
Trump said earlier this month he would be likely to make his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia to seal an agreement for Riyadh to invest upwards of US$1 trillion in the US economy, including purchases of military equipment.
He said on March 6 he would probably travel there in the next month and a half. He noted the first overseas trip of his first term was to Riyadh in 2017 to announce Saudi investments estimated then to be worth US$350 billion.
Axios reported the potential trip was discussed in recent weeks between senior US officials and their Saudi counterparts, including on the sidelines of talks about the war in Ukraine, according to sources.
One source said April 28 was discussed as a potential date for the visit but was postponed, while an official and a source familiar said the current plan is for Trump to travel to Saudi Arabia in mid-May, according to Axios.
