Trump pointed to the continued US plans to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

The United States plans to sell Saudi Arabia single-seat, single-engine fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets. This was announced on November 17 by the American President Donald Trump.

"Yes, I plan to do that. We will sell to them (Saudi Arabia. — Ed.) F-35," he replied to a question from journalists gathered in the Oval Office of the White House.

Trump added that Riyadh is Washington's "great ally."

Getting ahead of Israel: The Pentagon is considering transferring F-35 aircraft to Saudi Arabia

Riyadh wanted to gain air superiority in the region

On November 1, The New York Times (NYT) announced the intention of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, to buy the F-35 from the United States. Some time later, on November 13, this publication learned about the concerns expressed by the Ministry of War about this deal. It was noted that Pentagon officials fear that if the F-35 is sold to Saudi Arabia, data on these fighters may end up in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

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