Saudi Arabia designated 20th major non-NATO ally by US after Trump–MBS meeting

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (local time) that he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally while hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a gala dinner in the White House.

Bloomberg reported that the designation, given to nations with close strategic ties to the US, grants financing and priority access to certain military equipment purchases, along with the ability to engage in joint research initiatives.

According to AFP, Trump said, "Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that we're taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, which is something that is very important to them.”

Trump mentioned the designation, “And I'm just telling you now for the first time, because they wanted to keep a little secret for tonight”, noting that only 19 other countries have previously received it.

Which countries are designated as MNNAs?

Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand, and Tunisia are designated as MNNAs.

Saudi Arabia will become the 20th country to receive this status.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, MBS, attended the Tuesday evening event alongside prominent executives and celebrities, including Elon Musk and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Apple CEO Tim Cook and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were also present. Other notable guests, such as Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and investor Bill Ackman, were served a rack of lamb at long tables adorned with candles and flowers.

Earlier, Trump showered MBS with praise during a lavish Oval Office welcome, calling the prince a “very good friend of mine” and clearing him of responsibility for the 2018 murder of The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Key agreements between the US and Saudi Arabia

The two leaders agreed to a broadly worded defence cooperation pact, which includes the potential future sale of F-35 advanced fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, while the US committed to formalising negotiations on assistance with a Saudi civil nuclear program.

The White House visit and associated deals, including a vague Saudi pledge to raise investment in the US from $600 billion to $1 trillion, represent significant wins for the Crown Prince. Until recently, he had been shunned by many long-standing Western allies, including briefly by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, over the Khashoggi killing.

Trump and MBS have maintained a warm rapport since the early years of Trump’s first term, and the next phase of their relationship could influence the geopolitical balance in the Middle East. However, key agreements have yet to be reached on issues such as the normalisation of Saudi-Israeli relations, a longstanding US objective stalled by Israel’s two-year war with Hamas in Gaza.

Trump said the US and Saudi Arabia have reached a deal on artificial intelligence, following tense negotiations over the kingdom’s request for access to advanced chips. While no formal announcement was made on Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter indicated that the US has agreed to approve deliveries of the technology to the Saudi firm Humain.

(With inputs from agencies)