Awkward Biden Trip to Saudi Arabia Followed by $3 Billion Sale of US Missiles
- Potential sale is for 300 Patriot missiles made by Raytheon
- US also approved $2.5 billion in Thaad missiles to the UAE
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The US announced Tuesday it had approved the potential sale of additional Patriot missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at as much as $3.05 billion, just weeks after an awkward meeting between President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The encounter came to be symbolized by Biden’s fist-bump with a leader whose kingdom he once labeled a global “pariah” and hoped to marginalize after the killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. It underscored the president’s calculus to bring home relief from high gasoline prices and to reaffirm the US role in the Middle East.