US Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia May Reach $350Bln Over Next 10 Years

The United States and Saudi Arabia will sign a joint vision statement and nine defense cooperation agreements, including eight letters of acceptance and one letter of intent, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US arms sales to Saudi Arabia may reach $350 billion over the next 10 years, Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday.

According to Sanders, at a ceremony in Riyadh, to be attended by US President Donald Trump and State Secretary Rex Tillerson later on Saturday, the sides will sign a joint vision statement and nine defense cooperation agreements, including eight letters of acceptance and one letter of intent.

Trump arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, making Saudi Arabia the first country he visited as the President of the United States.

During the visit, Trump is expected to hold bilateral talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz, as well as a meeting with the leaders of six Arabian monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), and take part in the summit of the leaders of Arab and Muslim countries along with some 50 other heads of state or government.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed in a study in April that Saudi Arabia was the third largest military spender in 2015 but dropped to fourth position in 2016 after the United States, China and Russia.