Biden adviser Sullivan's talks with MBS signals focus on Israel-Saudi ties

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan plans to travel to Saudi Arabia this week for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid a US push for progress toward normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Talks on normalisation had been put on ice in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 blitz by Palestinian Hamas fighters on southern Israel and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza, but conversations have resumed in recent months.

A US official said Sullivan planned talks with the crown prince to check in on the issue but did not expect a major breakthrough.

A second US official said Sullivan would consult broadly on a number of matters.

"He has not been to Saudi Arabia in some time and there’s lots to discuss," the second official said.

'A number of matters'

Last week, Biden emphasised his belief that the Saudi normalisation deal remains attainable and significant, even though discussions were disrupted by the October 7 event l and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza.

"I won't go into detail now. But look, I've been working with the Saudis. They are prepared to fully recognise Israel," Biden said at a fundraiser in New York with former Presidents Obama and Clinton last week.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on March 21 that the United States and Saudi Arabia had made "good progress" in talks on normalising ties between the kingdom and Israel, without providing a timeline for concluding a deal.

As part of a normalisation deal, Saudi Arabia wants to clinch a mutual defence pact with Washington and get US support for its civil nuclear programme.

Saudi Arabia has explicitly stated, as per media reports, that to advance the normalisation process with Israel, the conflict in Gaza must cease, and the Israeli government must pledge unwaveringly to pursue a two-state solution.