Trump arrives in Saudi for 'historic' three-country visit

Tuesday, 13 May 2025 08:29

By Reuters

US President Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia, marking his first official foreign visit since taking office in January.

Trump was welcomed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at King Khalid International Airport.

The leaders exchanged greetings and were served traditional Saudi coffee at a brief reception at the airport lounge, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

According to Al Arabiya News, Trump has described his visit to the Gulf a “historic” trip, noting its significant political and economic implications.

Later on Tuesday, the leaders are scheduled to hold bilateral talks.

HRH the Crown Prince welcomes #US President #Trump upon arrival in Saudi Arabia for a state visit.
#TrumpInKSA #SPAGOV pic.twitter.com/kd1HRiflxi
— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) May 13, 2025

Trump will first visit Riyadh - where the Saudi-US Investment Forum is taking place - and continue to Qatar on Wednesday and the UAE on Thursday.

Trump's second foreign trip since taking office again - his first was to Rome for Pope Francis' funeral - comes during a moment of geopolitical tension. In addition to pressing for a settlement to the war in Ukraine, the Trump administration will also look to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Apart from Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, business leaders including Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser will be part of the delegation.

Trump's second and third stops will be Qatar and the UAE.

Trump has also said he may travel on Thursday to Turkey for potential face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

More from International news

Russia, Ukraine swap 307 soldiers on second day of POW exchange

Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 307 of their service personnel on Saturday on the second day of a prisoner exchange that, when completed, is set to be the largest such swap in the three-year war between the two countries. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the prisoner swap - which should see 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days - could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. Saturday's swap was announced by Russia's defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social
Police probe arson attack in France power outage

French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.
Ukraine says 15 people hurt in 'massive' Russian attack on capital

Russia launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight in one of the biggest combined aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital of the three-year war, damaging several apartment buildings and injuring at least 15 people.
South Africa rescues all 260 miners stuck underground alive

Rescuers on Friday pulled out all 260 mine workers who had been stuck for more than 24 hours in an underground shaft in South Africa, the mine's operator said.
US issues orders easing Syria sanctions after Trump pledge

The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after President Donald Trump this month pledged to unwind the measures to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.
18 injured in knife attack in Hamburg, report says

Eighteen people were injured in a knife attack in Hamburg station on Friday evening, Germany's Bild newspaper reported, and local police confirmed they had arrested the suspected assailant.
Russia, Ukraine begin largest prisoner swap since start of war

Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, in what is expected to be the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.
Harvard sues Trump administration for blocking foreign students' enrolment

Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Friday over its decision to revoke the Ivy League school's ability to enrol foreign students, ratcheting up White House efforts to conform practices in academia to President Donald Trump's policies.