US President Donald Trump announced that the United States has granted Saudi Arabia major non-NATO ally status and has signed a strategic defense agreement with the kingdom.
“I am pleased to inform you that we are taking our military cooperation to a new level by officially including Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally“, the American leader said at a dinner at the White House on the occasion of the visit of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
“This is very important to them“, Trump added. “I'm telling you this now because I wanted to keep this little secret until dinner“
“This is another victory for you today“, Trump said, addressing the crown prince. The US president also noted that the countries “just signed a historic strategic defense agreement“. He did not provide details.
The inclusion of other countries among Washington's main non-NATO allies makes it easier to cooperate militarily with them. This status does not imply mutual defense obligations.
The White House previously said that the United States plans to sell Saudi Arabia significant amounts of weapons, including fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bombers and approximately 300 tanks.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Riyadh could receive security guarantees from Washington similar to those previously provided to Qatar. In late September, Trump signed an executive order stating that the United States would consider any armed attack on Qatar's territory, sovereignty, and critical infrastructure as a threat to the peace and security of the United States. In the event of such an attack, Washington will take “appropriate measures, including diplomatic, economic and, if necessary, military“.