RIYADH — US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he plans to travel to Saudi Arabia in the next month and a half, according to news agencies. “I have a great relationship with them, and they’ve been very nice. But they’re going to be spending a lot of money on American companies for buying military equipment and other things,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump has also said he expects to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia at some point, but did not say whether he would during the upcoming trip. After being sworn in, Trump’s first call with a foreign leader was to Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

It is unclear if Saudi Arabia will be Trump’s first official visit abroad, but he has hinted that it could be. During his first term, Trump broke with tradition and made the Kingdom his first stop.

The Crown Prince recently said that his country has many things to discuss with the United States on the level of bilateral relations, as well as for the region, and in many areas. He made the remarks during his meeting with the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Feb. 17 on the eve of talks on Ukraine.

On February 20, President Trump thanked Prince Mohammed bin Salman for making Riyadh the venue for US-Russian talks, describing Saudi Arabia as a “special place with special leaders.”

During the opening of the “Priority” summit of the Saudi “Future Investment Initiative” in Miami last month, Trump stressed that the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which were held in Riyadh, represent an important development on the path to ending the war. “I would like to thank Saudi Arabia for hosting this historic summit, but in particular, we must thank Prince Mohammed bin Salman for hosting these historic talks that went very well,” he added.

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