United States-Saudi Arabia Relationship: Eight Decades of Partnership

The United States shares a strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for over 80 years. Building upon the commitments made in the Jeddah Communique during President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2022, the United States continues to partner with Saudi Arabia on political, security, counterterrorism, economic, and energy issues, including clean energy innovation, to advance our common vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East. In the past three years, the United States has completed new diplomatic facilities in Jeddah and Dhahran, and will launch the construction of a new embassy in Riyadh. These projects represent the physical foundation of the strong and lasting U.S.-Saudi relationship and our investment in that relationship for the decades to come.

The United States and Saudi Arabia: Ensuring Security

Working with Saudi Arabia to ensure regional stability remains a pillar of our bilateral relationship. The United States is the top defense supplier for Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi defense establishment remains the single largest U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer, with cases valued at more than $140 billion. This partnership is predicated on our shared interest in security in the Gulf and deterring any foreign or regional power from threatening the region.

The United States is committed to advancing our security partnership with Saudi Arabia through defense sales that will support a more integrated and regionally networked air and missile defense architecture, participating in joint military exercises, and countering the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems and missiles to non-state actors that threaten the peace and security of the region.

The United States and Saudi Arabia: Cooperation on Resolving Regional Conflicts

The United States continues to work with Saudi Arabia to resolve regional conflicts and deal with global challenges. Our two countries are working together to end the conflict in Sudan, including in negotiating the Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan and enabling humanitarian assistance. Saudi Arabia has supported UN-led peace efforts in Yemen that have enabled over a year of de-escalation and created the best opportunity for peace since the war began.

We welcome steps that Saudi Arabia has taken in support for Ukraine, including pledging $400 million in aid to Ukraine earlier this year, while supporting key UN resolutions calling on Russia to end its full-scale invasion. In conjunction with the President’s 2022 visit, Saudi Arabia took a step toward greater regional economic integration by allowing overflights of civil aircraft of all countries, including Israel.

The United States and Saudi Arabia: Economic Collaboration

We are cooperating with Saudi Arabia to advance its ambitious agenda to diversify away from oil and create jobs for young Saudis. The Saudi economy grew at 8.7 percent in 2022, providing abundant opportunities for U.S. companies to engage across many sectors, from energy to healthcare and entertainment. In 2021, the United States ran a $6.4 billion goods-and-services trade surplus with Saudi Arabia, and U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia supported over 165,000 American jobs. In March, our countries held the seventh Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council Meeting.

U.S. energy and petrochemical companies maintain an extensive presence in the Saudi energy sector and enjoy multi-billion-dollar partnerships with two of Saudi Arabia’s largest companies, Aramco and SABIC. As it diversifies its economy under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is developing clean alternatives to traditional energy, representing tremendous opportunities for U.S. companies.

At a recent technology conference in Riyadh, American firms announced more than $3.5 billion in new investments. Boeing recently completed a major deal with Saudi Arabia valued at nearly $37 billion. These landmark deals will support over 140,000 U.S. jobs at over 300 Boeing suppliers across 38 states.

The United States and Saudi Arabia: New Technology and Clean Energy Cooperation

In 2022, the two nations signed a bilateral Partnership Framework for Advancing Clean Energy. In alignment with the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), the Framework created opportunities for new Saudi investments to accelerate the Saudi energy transition and combat the effects of climate change. The Framework focuses particularly on solar, green hydrogen, nuclear, and other clean energy technologies.

Working with Saudi Arabia as part of the PGII, we are also making continued progress on establishing trusted and secure 5G and 6G networks using open radio access networks (Open RAN).

Riyadh hosts the International Energy Forum Secretariat, the only international energy organization that includes energy producers and consumers. The State Department represents the United States on the Executive Board of the IEF.

Saudi Arabia signed the Artemis Accords in 2022, committing themselves to the peaceful and responsible use and exploration of space. Saudi Arabia continues to be an active participant in the signatory working groups, helping to implement the Accords.

The United States and Saudi Arabia: Educational Partnerships

The United States and Saudi Arabia have longstanding and robust cultural and educational ties. Over 18,000 Saudi students currently study at U.S. universities, and an estimated 700,000 have graduated from such U.S. institutions over the last five decades. People-to-people educational, professional, cultural, and sports exchanges, such as the International Visitor Leadership Program, and the Sports Visitor and Sports Envoy Programs, also contribute to these close ties.