After awarding his brother a medal, Trump sits down with another prince of Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON — President Trump hosted Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia for lunch at the White House on Tuesday, moving to forge a warmer relationship with the kingdom after a period of tension between the United States and a longstanding ally.
The lunch was an early effort by Mr. Trump to engage with Prince Mohammed, the defense minister of Saudi Arabia. Hopes are high in Riyadh for improved relations with the United States after strained diplomacy between the Obama administration and the Saudis, particularly over the nuclear deal with Iran.
The visit — initially expected to be a short meet-and-greet but turned at the last moment into a formal lunch — was a chance for the two men to also discuss Yemen, where a civil war has pitted Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels against a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Sunni Arab countries with American support, and where the United States is stepping up a campaign against Al Qaeda. Mr. Trump faces a decision on whether to resume arms sales to the Saudis.
Mr. Trump, a new American president eager to break with his predecessor, and Prince Mohammed, a young, ambitious leader jockeying for influence in his kingdom, each see the other as a crucial ally on a variety of pressing issues. Neither spoke to reporters as they shook hands in the Oval Office, or later, when they took seats in the State Dining Room for a lunch with senior aides.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/world/middleeast/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-trump.html