Trump inks major defense deal with Saudi Arabia, announces plan to lift sanctions on Syria

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday secured a US$600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia in Riyadh and vowed to lift sanctions on Syria.

According to a White House statement, the investment commitment involves agreements spanning various sectors, including "energy security, defense industry, technology leadership, and access to global infrastructure and critical minerals."

Among the deals was "the largest defense sales agreement in history — nearly US$142 billion," the statement said.

As part of the defense agreement, the United States will provide Saudi Arabia with "state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen US defense firms."

"This deal represents a significant investment in Saudi Arabia's defense and regional security, built on American systems and training," the statement added.

Speaking later at an investment forum, the US president announced that he would lift sanctions on Syria.

"I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance," Trump said, noting that the United States had taken the first steps toward normalizing relations with Damascus.

While praising ties with Saudi Arabia, Trump expressed hope that the kingdom would join the Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States during Trump's first term in office, aimed to normalize relations between Israel and Arab nations.

US efforts to promote normalization between Israel and Arab countries stalled amid Washington's support for Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 52,900 Palestinians since October 2023 and drawn widespread regional criticism.

On potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would travel to Turkey later this week to join the negotiations.

Trump is on a four-day trip to the Middle East from Tuesday to Friday, his first major foreign visit since taking office in January. Saudi Arabia is the first stop of his tour, which will also include Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.