Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat held talks in Washington on Wednesday. The meeting aimed to prepare for US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia. This would be Trump’s first foreign trip of his second term. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department. One of the main topics of discussion will be the civil war in Sudan.
Both sides urged the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to return to peace talks. They stressed the need to protect civilians, open humanitarian corridors, and restore civilian rule. This came after the Sudanese army announced it had regained full control of Khartoum after heavy fighting with the RSF.
Notably, Trump wants to end all wars around the world and has repeated several times during his election campaign and after that. Trump administration is also working with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The recent urge to end the war in Sudan is part of the larger framework of the Trump administration of bringing peace to the currently ongoing war worldwide.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023. It has caused one of the worst hunger and displacement crises in the world, according to the United Nations. Over 12 million people have been displaced, and tens of thousands have died. A UN-backed report declared famine in some parts of Sudan. Previous peace talks, backed by the US under Joe Biden and by Saudi Arabia, have failed to end the conflict.
Trump said last month he may visit Saudi Arabia as early as April. This would mirror his 2017 visit when Saudi Arabia was his first stop as president. A source close to the Saudi government said Prince Faisal’s trip was meant to prepare for Trump’s visit. The source also said the minister was discussing the conflicts in Gaza, Yemen, and Syria.
Rubio and Prince Faisal also talked about the war in Gaza. They discussed efforts to release hostages and reach a lasting ceasefire. The State Department said Hamas must be fully disarmed and weakened after the conflict ends.
In January, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to invest $600 billion in trade and business with the US. Trump later claimed Saudi Arabia would invest nearly $1 trillion in American companies, saying it would create jobs.
During his first term, Trump had strong ties with Saudi Arabia. He is expected to work on getting Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel. This would be a major foreign policy goal. Trump also said he protected Crown Prince Mohammed from harsher consequences after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
