'Business, business, business' instead of new Abraham Accords: US President Trump arrives in Middle East

U.S. President Donald Trump touched down in Riyadh on Tuesday morning local time, beginning his first major trip abroad since taking office that will reportedly focus on signing economic mega-deals.

Meetings with Saudi leaders were set to start around noon, with the next stops coming in Qatar on Wednesday and the UAE on Thursday.

Despite Israeli concerns about possible meetings and declarations seen as detrimental to its interests, Reuters and Axios reported on Monday that major diplomatic moves are now seen as unlikely.

يحدث الآن: طائرة الرئيس ترامب تحط في مطار الملك خالد الدولي بالرياض #trump #saudi pic.twitter.com/IVTApGYBj7

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Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said he expected progress on expanding the Abraham Accords during the trip, and numerous reports suggested Trump could meet leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Lebanon, and others, while Israel was not invited.

However, sources cited by Reuters now said that the focus of the trip will lie on economic matters, since the strident Israeli opposition to ending the war and a Palestinian state made agreements on normalization with Saudi Arabia unlikely at the moment.

“His regional agenda is business, business and business,” an Arab official told the news outlet Axios.

The Trump-led delegation includes Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Sikorsky CEO Paul Lemmo and leaders of other top American defense companies. 

On Monday, the expected flurry of deals kicked off with the announcement of a $1.4 billion sale of military equipment to the UAE. The Pentagon said this included CH-47F Chinook Helicopters and F-16 components and sustainment.

The Emirates said in March that it would invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. over the next decade.

Saudi F-15s escort Trump's Air Force One #Trump #Saudi pic.twitter.com/lcVXIsIZr2

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Deals signed in Saudi Arabia are expected to include at least $100 billion in military sales, in addition to energy and minerals deals, after Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) already vowed to invest some $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years after Trump took office.

Qatar is also expected to announce major investments totaling some $200-300 billion, including a commercial aircraft deal with Boeing and $2 billion to purchase American MQ-9 Reaper drones, according to Axios.

Other announcements during the trip could touch on the tariff issue, as the all three countries are still subject to the Trump Administration’s global 10% tariff.