U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with the leaders of six Gulf nations during a visit to Riyadh later this month, a source close to the Saudi government told AFP on Sunday.
The trip, scheduled for May 13 to 16, includes stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Aside from a brief visit to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, this will be Trump’s first official foreign visit since the start of his second term.
While in Riyadh, Trump will meet with the heads of state from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman. The meeting aims to strengthen political and economic ties, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Just days ahead of the visit, the U.S. approved a $3.5 billion missile sale to Saudi Arabia, further deepening military and commercial ties. Trump has frequently touted major deals with the oil-rich kingdom and praised its role in facilitating U.S. diplomacy on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The visit also comes amid renewed indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. Trump, who withdrew from the original nuclear agreement in 2018, has maintained a hardline stance, enforcing sanctions and calling for a global ban on Iranian oil exports. He continues to express interest in brokering a new deal to prevent escalation and reduce the risk of an Israeli strike on Iran.
Another possible focus of the trip is a potential normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel — similar to the Abraham Accords Trump brokered in his first term. However, Riyadh has reiterated that it will not consider such a deal until the war in Gaza is resolved.