The United States is expected to lift its ban on the sale of “offensive weapons” to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.
US President Joe Biden suspended the sale of such weapons to the kingdom three years ago, shortly after he entered the White House and criticised the invasion of Yemen over concerns that US-made weapons were being used in air strikes that killed civilians.
But according to a report in the Financial Times (FT), that decision is being reviewed as a UN-brokered ceasefire is set to take effect in 2022 and Riyadh seeks to withdraw from Yemen, which it invaded nine years ago.
Lifting the ban would be the latest sign of improving relations between the Biden administration and Riyadh.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Washington has already signalled to Saudi Arabia, traditionally one of the largest buyers of US arms, that it is ready to lift the ban.
Biden came to office promising to ‘ostracise’ Saudi Arabia over concerns about human rights in the kingdom, particularly after Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered by the Saudis in the Istanbul consulate in 2018.
In his 2019 election campaign, Biden accused the Saudis of “killing children”, an apparent reference to the war in Yemen, which has killed thousands.
Relations have since improved significantly, particularly after the war in Ukraine reinforced Washington’s belief that Saudi Arabia needs cooperation on key issues, including energy and support for US policies in the Middle East.
Senior US officials said this week that Washington and Riyadh were close to finalising a series of bilateral agreements, including a defence pact and cooperation with the US on Saudi Arabia’s fledgling civilian nuclear programme.
These agreements would be part of a wider US-brokered deal that would see Saudi Arabia normalise relations with Israel, provided Israel agrees to take steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state.
US officials have denied that the lifting of the ban on offensive arms sales is directly linked to these talks.
