President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that the United States will move forward with selling F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, brushing aside internal concerns that the advanced aircraft technology could make its way into Chinese hands.
“I will say that we will be doing that,” President Trump said when asked about the sale. “We’ll be selling F-35s.”
According to The Associated Press, the announcement comes just one day before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Washington for his first U.S. visit in more than seven years — a trip expected to produce several major agreements between the two countries.
According to a senior administration official, Saudi Arabia is planning to unveil a multibillion-dollar investment in U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure, as well as new cooperation with Washington in the civil nuclear energy sector. The official was not authorized to speak publicly ahead of formal announcements.
The F-35 deal has been high on the crown prince’s agenda. Riyadh has also sought formal U.S. commitments outlining the extent of American military protection for the kingdom.
The Trump administration, however, has long navigated competing pressures: maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge while weighing concerns that China could gain access to sensitive F-35 technology. Those worries previously derailed a similar deal with the United Arab Emirates, and officials say they persist with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s increasingly close ties with Beijing — including joint naval exercises last month and China’s role in mediating a 2023 Saudi-Iran détente — have raised red flags for some in Washington. China last year surpassed the U.S. as Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, though the kingdom still relies primarily on American weapons systems.
Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said Congress will likely push the administration to detail what assurances Riyadh has provided about its relationship with China and to explain how Israel’s military edge will be protected.
The sale comes as President Trump tries to broker a major diplomatic breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He has framed the expansion of his first-term Abraham Accords as central to stabilizing the Middle East while a fragile Gaza ceasefire continues to hold.
“I hope that Saudi Arabia will be going into the Abraham Accords very shortly,” Trump told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One.
But internal assessments are more cautious. Saudi leaders have made clear that no agreement is possible without a “guaranteed path” to a Palestinian state — a demand Israel strongly rejects. U.S. officials say an accord is unlikely in the near term, though possibly achievable by the end of Trump’s second term.
Bowman argued that Trump should use the F-35 deal as leverage. “Let’s hope that President Trump makes clear that the first F-35 will not be delivered until Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel,” he said.
The move is expected to reignite criticism from human-rights groups as Prince Mohammed returns to Washington for the first time since the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi — an operation U.S. intelligence later concluded he likely ordered, though he denies the charge.
Still, President Trump has taken a far warmer approach to the crown prince.
“They have been a great ally,” he said.
