On Tuesday, President Trump announced his plan to elevate Saudi Arabia’s standing and relationship with the U.S., designating the kingdom as a “major non-NATO ally.”

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From The Epoch Times:

Trump made the announcement for the first time on Tuesday, during a dinner at the White House with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Other high-profile figures such as Elon Musk—who had a public falling-out with Trump earlier this year—and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos were also in attendance.

“I’m pleased to announce that [the U.S. and Saudi Arabia] are taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally,” Trump said.

That means the two nations have agreed to work more closely on military, economic, and related initiatives.

President Trump said this alliance will “advance the interests of both countries,” adding that it will also “serve the highest interests of peace.” Practically, this new designation will give Saudi Arabia priority access to our military equipment, including F-35 fighter jets, according to the Times.

The Times notes that Saudi Arabia will join a list of 20 other major non-NATO allies, including Middle Eastern nations like Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan.

While Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have closely cooperated for decades now, Israel has proven to be a sticking point for them. The Muslim kingdom officially supports a two-state solution, and its crown prince has thus far refused to sign on to President Trump’s Abraham Accords. Nevertheless, the President insisted that he and the crown prince “had a very good talk,” on the subject, signaling that this close alliance may lead Saudi Arabia to reconsider its stance on the Jewish state.

Even aside from Israel, there are still other concerns about Saudi Arabia. For example, American officials in 2021 reportedly ruled that the crown prince approved of the killing of a Saudi journalist in 2018. However, both President Trump and bin Salman have cast doubt on this claim, with the later explicitly denying it.

As President Trump continues to forge alliances with controversial leaders and nations, let’s pray he receives godly wisdom!

(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)