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PREVIEW: US president embarks on foreign trip to Middle East

The official part will be held on May 13-16

WASHINGTON, May 12. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump will embark on a tour of the Middle East, the official part of which will be held on May 13-16. He will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Aside from a brief trip to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis in late April, this is the president's first full-fledged foreign tour since taking office on January 20. During his first presidential term (2017-2021), Saudi Arabia was also the first country Trump traveled to on an official visit.

Negotiation agenda

In Riyadh, the US leader is expected to attend a summit between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council. According to US media, Trump is expected to present his vision of the US role and goals in the Middle East. Axios reported that the summit is scheduled for May 14.

One of the main goals of the tour will be to conclude economic deals and attract investment in the American economy. The settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is also expected to be discussed. Qatar is a key mediator in the negotiations between Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. In addition, Trump plans to discuss global oil prices: their reduction in order to accelerate US economic growth is one of the key objectives of the administration.

According to CNN, the US delegation includes, among others, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The delegation may also include Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff.

Earlier, Washington administration officials suggested that a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could take place in Saudi Arabia. Last week, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov and the White House said that there were no such plans. Trump, in turn, had previously indicated that the meeting could take place soon after his trip to Saudi Arabia.

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Middle East conflict

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