From the Liveblog of
Friday, September 13, 2024
UAE would try to revive deal with US for F-35 jets if Trump re-elected
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) — The United Arab Emirates would seek to revive a multi-billion dollar deal with the US for F-35 warplanes and armed drones if Donald Trump wins a second term as president in November, several people familiar with the matter tell Reuters.
The UAE has long sought the most advanced fighter jet, built with stealth technology allowing it to evade enemy detection. If the US did approve the transfer, the UAE would be only the second Middle East state after Israel to operate F-35 fighters.
Trump had signed off on the deal in the final days of his presidency in 2021 but the UAE suspended talks by the end of the year, unable to agree terms with the Biden administration.
Three sources say that if Trump was re-elected, the UAE would seek to resume talks, asking a new Trump administration to fulfill the original agreement. One of the sources said the UAE would ask a new Trump administration to “honor” the 2021 deal.
Trump approved the $23 billion deal, which included MQ-9 Reaper drones and munitions after the UAE established ties with Israel in 2020 under an accord brokered by his administration.
That made the UAE the most prominent Arab state to forge diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years and handed Trump a significant foreign policy achievement just a few months out from the election that he would ultimately lose to Joe Biden.
But after months of discussions, the UAE announced in December 2021 that it had suspended F-35 talks with the Biden administration, citing “sovereign operational restrictions,” among other reasons. The Biden administration responded, saying it was ready to move forward. The process has remained paused.
