Exclusive-UAE will ask Trump to fulfill F-35 deal if re-elected, Reuters sources say

By Alexander Cornwell

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates would seek to revive a multibillion-dollar deal with the U.S. for F-35 warplanes and armed drones if Donald Trump wins a second term as president in November, they told Reuters several people familiar with the matter. .

The UAE has long sought the most advanced fighter jet, built with stealth technology that allows it to avoid enemy detection. If the US had approved the transfer, the UAE would be only the second Middle Eastern country after Israel to operate F-35 fighter jets.

Trump signed the deal in the final days of his 2021 presidency, but the United Arab Emirates suspended talks until the end of the year, unable to reach an agreement with the Biden administration.

Three sources said that if Trump were re-elected, the UAE would try to restart the talks, asking a new Trump administration to fulfill the original agreement. One of the sources said the UAE would ask a new Trump administration to “honor” 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 a deal brokered by his administration.

This made the UAE the most prominent Arab state to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years and gave Trump a significant foreign policy achievement just months after the election, which in the the latter would lose it to Joe Biden.

But after months of discussions, the UAE announced in December 2021 that 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 was suspended.

When asked if the UAE would require a second Trump administration to fulfill the F-35 deal, a UAE official did not directly deny or confirm the claim and instead said that Abu Dhabi has cultivated institutional relations and an enduring partnership with Washington over several administrations.

“Our nations share a commitment to advance mutual interests and address common concerns” and work diligently to strengthen regional security and promote 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 US in several campaigns, including the war in Afghanistan, and US soldiers are stationed in Abu Dhabi.

“PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH”

The Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said in a statement that a second Trump presidency would “again bring peace through strength to rebuild and expand the coalition of peace he built in his first mandate to create long-term safety and security in the Middle East and around the world.”

Before Trump, Washington rejected requests for fighter jets from Middle Eastern countries because of a policy to ensure Israel maintains a military advantage over its neighbors.

Trump has enjoyed warm relations with the wealthy Gulf states. The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited the White House in 2017 when he was the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

He did not visit the White House during the Biden administration, but in 2022 he met in Jeddah with President Biden.

The sources did not say what the UAE would do if Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, 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 selling F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of negotiations for a bilateral defense treaty and Riyadh to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the conditions that would have to be met for the UAE sale to take place before the end of Biden’s term in January.

In recent years, there have been signs of tension on some issues between the US and the UAE, including the emirate’s frustrations with the conditions set by the Biden administration for the F-35 deal and US pressure on the UAE to evade sanctions against Iran and Russia by companies operating in the country.

US lawmakers have questioned whether the UAE’s purchase of F-35s would undermine Israel’s military advantage, although Emirati officials have said establishing diplomatic ties with Israel should address those concerns. Israel said it was not opposed to the deal and provided air defense systems to the UAE.

The US is also concerned about the UAE’s relations with China.

The UAE, which operates US-made F-16 and French-made Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets, has close economic and trade ties with Beijing, which have recently expanded to joint air force exercises.

The UAE has bought Chinese “light attack” jets, and the UAE’s communications infrastructure uses Chinese technology that the US believes could compromise the security of US military systems. Abu Dhabi has also ordered French-made Rafale fighters.