US President Donald Trump gave Saudi Arabia’s crown prince a lavish reception in Washington, offering a defense agreement that includes cutting-edge warplanes and absolving him of the murder of an American journalist.
Less clear was what Trump got in return.
The US leader greeted Mohammed bin Salman with a dozen flag-carrying soldiers on horseback, a Marine Corps band playing from the White House balcony and a flyover by the F-35 fighter jets the Saudis have long coveted. The White House later said the two countries signed a loosely worded defense cooperation pact, and Trump designated Saudi Arabia as a “major ...
