UAE to ask Trump to fulfil F-35 deal if he's re-elected, sources say
UAE suspended F-35 talks with Biden administration in 2021
Trump approved $23 billion deal including MQ-9 Reaper drones
Aircraft uses advanced stealth technology to evade detection
UAE's close economic ties with China impact US security concerns
By Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI, Sept 13 (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates would seek to revive a multi-billion dollar deal with the U.S. for F-35 warplanes and armed drones if Donald Trump wins a second term as president in November, several people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The UAE has long sought the most advanced fighter jet, built with stealth technology allowing it to evade enemy detection. If the U.S. 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 said that if Trump was re-elected, the UAE would seek to resume talks, asking a new Trump administration to fulfil the original agreement. One of the sources said the UAE would ask a new Trump administration to "honour" 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 hand 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 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.
When asked whether the UAE would request a second Trump administration to fulfil the F-35 deal, a UAE official did not directly deny or confirm the claim and instead said Abu Dhabi had cultivated institutional relationships and an enduring partnership with Washington across several administrations.
"Our nations share a commitment to advancing mutual interests and address shared concerns" and work diligently to strengthen regional security and foster prosperity, they said.
The Gulf state is one of Washington's most important security partners in the Middle East. Its military has fought alongside the U.S. in several campaigns, including the war in Afghanistan, and American soldiers are stationed in Abu Dhabi.
'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH'
Trump campaign's national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that a second Trump presidency would "once again deliver peace through strength to rebuild and expand the peace coalition he built in his first term to create long-term safety and security in the Middle East and around the world."
Before Trump, Washington had rebuffed requests for jet fighters from Middle East nations because of a policy to ensure that Israel maintained a military advantage over its neighbours.
Trump enjoyed warm relations with the wealthy Gulf states. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the White House in 2017 when he was the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
He has not visited the White House during the Biden administration, but in 2022 met in Jeddah with President Biden.
The sources did not say what the UAE would do if Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat nominee, won the election. The Harris campaign declined to comment. Harris visited the UAE in 2022 and 2023, meeting with Sheikh Mohammed and other senior Emirati government officials.
The Biden administration has discussed the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of negotiations for a bilateral defense treaty and Riyadh establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.
The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters questions on what conditions would need to be met for the UAE sale to go ahead before the end of Biden’s term in January.
In recent years there have been signs of strain over some issues between the U.S. and UAE, including Emirati frustrations at conditions set by the Biden administration for the F-35 deal and U.S. pressure on the UAE over the evasion of sanctions on Iran and Russia by companies operating in the country.
U.S. lawmakers had questioned whether the UAE acquiring F-35s would undermine Israel's military advantage, although Emirati officials said establishing diplomatic ties with Israel should address those concerns. Israel has said it does not oppose the deal and has supplied air defence systems to the UAE.
The U.S. also worries about the UAE's relations with China.
The UAE, which operates American-made F-16 and French-made Mirage 2000-9s fighter jets, has close economic and trade ties with Beijing that recently expanded to joint air force drills.
The UAE has bought Chinese 'light attack' jets and the UAE's communications infrastructure uses Chinese technology that the U.S. believes could jeopardize the security of American military systems. Abu Dhabi has also ordered French made Rafale fighters.
Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Dubai, additional reporting by Gram Slattery and Matt Spetalnick in Washington D.C., Editing by William Maclean
免責聲明: XM Group提供線上交易平台的登入和執行服務，允許個人查看和/或使用網站所提供的內容，但不進行任何更改或擴展其服務和訪問權限，並受以下條款與條例約束：（i）條款與條例；（ii）風險提示；（iii）完全免責聲明。網站內部所提供的所有資訊，僅限於一般資訊用途。請注意，我們所有的線上交易平台內容並不構成，也不被視為進入金融市場交易的邀約或邀請 。金融市場交易會對您的投資帶來重大風險。
所有缐上交易平台所發佈的資料，僅適用於教育/資訊類用途，不包含也不應被視爲適用於金融、投資稅或交易相關諮詢和建議，或是交易價格紀錄，或是任何金融商品或非應邀途徑的金融相關優惠的交易邀約或邀請。
本網站的所有XM和第三方所提供的内容，包括意見、新聞、研究、分析、價格其他資訊和第三方網站鏈接，皆爲‘按原狀’，並作爲一般市場評論所提供，而非投資建議。請理解和接受，所有被歸類為投資研究範圍的相關内容，並非爲了促進投資研究獨立性，而根據法律要求所編寫，而是被視爲符合營銷傳播相關法律與法規所編寫的内容。請確保您已詳讀並完全理解我們的非獨立投資研究提示和風險提示資訊，相關詳情請點擊 這裡查看。
