President Trump Does Not Believe That Saudi Arabia Is Paying Its Fair Share For U.S. Defense

U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman enter the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Reuters: Exclusive: Trump complains Saudis not paying fair share for U.S. defense

President Donald Trump complained on Thursday that U.S. ally Saudi Arabia was not treating the United States fairly and Washington was losing a “tremendous amount of money” defending the kingdom.

In an interview with Reuters, Trump confirmed his administration was in talks about possible visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel in the second half of May. He is due to make his first trip abroad as president for a May 25 NATO summit in Brussels and could add other stops.

"Frankly, Saudi Arabia has not treated us fairly, because we are losing a tremendous amount of money in defending Saudi Arabia,” he said.

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WNU Editor: He can tell them directly when he visits there in the coming weeks .... Possible Trump trip to Saudi Arabia being discussed: U.S. official (Reuters).

Did Saudi Arabia 'Snub' President Obama (Commentaries and Editorials)

Politico: A Saudi snub?

Saudi King Salman will skip Camp David summit, sending his crown prince instead.

Call it the “Saudi snub.” Or, if you are the White House, don’t.

After Saudi Arabia announced Sunday that its king had cancelled plans to attend President Barack Obama’s summit of Gulf Arab states at Camp David this week, the White House raced to snuff out talk of a royal snub.

On Monday, Obama administration officials strongly disputed reports of tension with the monarch, arguing that Saudi King Salman is merely preoccupied with his country’s military campaign in Yemen. White House officials also said Obama and the king had spoken on Monday afternoon about their countries’ cooperation.

WNU Editor: These meetings are always planned weeks/months in advance, and to cancel now .... yup .... the Saudis are sending a message. As to what is everyone else thinking .... after reading news reports from about a dozen wire services/news websites around the world, the perception in the global community is that this is a snub .... and a deliberate one.

Update: Obama speaks to Saudi king, White House plans Camp David statement -- Reuters

More Commentaries and Opinions On The Saudi Snub To President Obama

Is Saudi Arabia's King Snubbing Obama? -- Dominic Waghorn, SKY News
The Gulf Arab snub to Obama isn’t so bad -- M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Times
The Inside Story Of The Saudi Snub -- Charles Dickey, Daily Beast
Did Obama Just Get Snubbed by the King of Saudi Arabia? -- Margaret Hartmann, NYMag
Why the Snub? Saudis Know Obama’s Replaced Them With Iran -- Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary
Saudi Arabia's new king just snubbed Obama -- Pamela Engel, Business Insider
Snub or no snub? -- The Economist
White House: What Saudi snub? -- The Hill
Don’t Read Too Much Into Salman’s Snub. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia Are Still Stuck With Each Other. -- Joshua Keating, Slate
Is Saudi king's absence at Obama-hosted summit a snub? -- CBS
Saudi Arabia denies king’s absence at US summit a snub -- Times of Israel/AP/AFP

Saudi Arabia Tells U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry That They Will Continue To Arm Syria's Rebels

U.S., Saudis Paper Over Differences On Syria, Iran During Kerry Visit -- Washington Post

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Highlighting a divide with the United States over whether to arm the Syrian rebels, Saudi Arabia’s chief diplomat said Monday there is a moral responsibility to speed an end to the civil war, including by helping Syrians fight the regime’s “vicious killing machine.”

“Saudi Arabia will do everything in its capacity. We do believe that what is happening in Syria is a slaughter — a slaughter of innocents,” Prince Saud al-Faisal said during a visit by Secretary of State John F. Kerry. “We cannot bring ourselves to remain silent. Morally there is a duty.”

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My Comment: U.S. - Saudi interests do not see eye to eye on many issues in the Middle East now .... the crisis in Syria probably being number one on this list.

U.S. Military Chief Visits The Gulf Countries

DEFENSE TALKS - U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith, left, and U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, center, meet with Prince Khalid bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 21, 2011. DOD photo U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Mullen Meets Saudi Military Officials -- Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. uniformed military officer met with Saudi military officials Sunday to discuss the pro-democracy protests roiling the Middle East and whether Iran was seeking to take advantage of the unrest.

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting the Middle East this week. On Sunday he arrived in Saudi Arabia and then left Monday night for Qatar. He is also due to visit the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti and Kuwait. Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman for Mullen, said in an email message that a stop in Bahrain could be added.

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More News On Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff. Adm. Michael Mullen Visiting The Middle East

United States' top military officer visits Gulf region -- CNN
Top US military officer in Gulf, meets allies amid unrest -- Arab News
US top military officer visits Gulf amid Arab revolts -- AFP
U.S. military chief visits Gulf, to urge restraint -- Reuters
Mullen meets Middle East allies amid 'stunning' unrest -- The Hill
Mullen defends plans to meet with Middle East leaders -- Stars And Stirpes
Mullen Launches Middle East Trip in Saudi Arabia -- U.S. Department of Defense
Mullen Continues Middle East Trip in Qatar -- U.S. Department of Defense

My Comment: There are a lot of nervous governments in the region .... and with very good reason.