"We will be doing that. We will be selling F-35s," Trump told reporters when asked if Washington would agree to sell Riyadh the jets at Tuesday's meeting. "They've been a great ally," he added.

Riyadh has long been seeking to buy F-35 fighter jets, currently only owned by Israel in the Middle East.

Israeli officials have voiced concern about a sale of the planes to Saudi Arabia, despite a push for the kingdom to normalize relations.

In another area of past contention, a source familiar with negotiations said that Trump and the prince would sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation.

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's top oil producers, says it wants to diversify from fossil fuels and is looking for the advanced US technology available from a so-called "123 agreement."

But such agreements are subject to tight rules against proliferation, and Congress would be expected to scrutinize any full accord.

Saudi Arabia says it is not seeking nuclear weapons and it recently entered an enhanced defense partnership with Pakistan, a nuclear power.

The United States has so far only allowed the sales of F-35s to its closest allies, including a number of European NATO allies and Israel.

Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program in 2019 because Ankara's purchase of a Russian air defense system sparked fears that Moscow could acquire the plane's technology through the back door.

The Saudi prince and de facto ruler is making his first US visit since the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents prompted worldwide outrage and briefly upended ties.

Prince Mohammed, who hosted Trump earlier this year, will press for security guarantees while Trump will urge him to normalize ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalization at this stage.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY