Biden administration gives senior Saudi visitor the red carpet treatment signaling possible warming ties
Khalid Bin Salman/Twitter
By Nicole Gaouette and Kylie Atwood, CNN
The Biden administration hosted the most senior Saudi official to arrive in Washington since the White House distanced itself earlier this year from the kingdom and its defacto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a visit that may signal yet another recalibration in the fraught relationship.
Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, a prince and brother to Mohammed, has had meetings with Biden’s most senior national security officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The prince’s arrival hasn’t been without controversy, as some State Department officials have expressed frustration with the broad access he has been given, according to two sources familiar with the visit.