Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Blinken lands in Saudi Arabia with Israel normalization deal on the agenda
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council nations during the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 23, 2022. (David Dee Delgado/Pool Photo via AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia on a trip to strengthen strained ties with the long-time ally as the oil-rich kingdom forges closer relations with Washington’s rivals.
Blinken lands in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, a pool reporter on the plane tells AFP. He is expected to meet Saudi’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman during his trip, according to a US official.
The State Department has said that the issue of a potential normalization deal with Israel is on the agenda, although the US has dismissed reports that any agreement is imminent.
