According to Arabic 21, the White House announced that Bin Salman’s brother Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister, is scheduled to meet with US officials to address a variety of issues, including the case of critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashgeji.
A US source said that the case of Jamal Khashgeji’s murder is expected to be one of the topics discussed by the Saudi Deputy Defense Minister with US officials.
White House spokesman Jen Saki said Bin Salman’s brother Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi deputy defense minister, was in Washington.
Khalid bin Salman’s conversation with US officials will show how Saudi Arabia’s relations with the United States have changed compared to the period of former US President Donald Trump.
An American source said about the meeting that the Saudi Crown Prince’s brother also met briefly with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Millie at the Pentagon, as well as Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Cal.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council also stated that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with the Saudi Deputy Secretary of Defense on a range of issues, including long-standing cooperation between the two countries, easing tensions in the Middle East, and US commitment to Saudi Arabia to help defend itself as the country attacks.
Prince Khalid is the brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the son of the current King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz.
This was the first visit by a high-ranking Saudi delegation since US intelligence reported on the Saudi Crown Prince’s involvement in the assassination of Jamal Khashgeji.
According to US sources, the Saudi Crown Prince’s younger brother is not expected to meet with US President Joe Biden.
A few days ago, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan met with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken on the sidelines of the G20 Summit of Foreign and Development Ministers in Matra, Italy. During the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United States discussed aspects of strategic cooperation between the two countries and ways to support and strengthen it in various fields to ensure common interests.