That made the UAE the most prominent Arab state to forge diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years and hand Trump a significant foreign policy achievement just a few months out from the election that he would ultimately lose to
But after months of discussions, the UAE announced in December 2021 it had suspended F-35 talks with the Biden administration, citing "sovereign operational restrictions", among other reasons. The Biden administration responded, saying it was ready to
move forward. The process has remained paused.
When asked whether the UAE would request a second Trump administration to fulfil the F-35 deal, a UAE official did not directly deny or confirm the claim and instead said Abu Dhabi had cultivated institutional relationships and an enduring partnership with Washington across several administrations.
"Our nations share a commitment to advancing mutual interests and address shared concerns" and work diligently to strengthen regional security and foster prosperity, they said.
The Gulf state is one of Washington's most important security partners in the Middle East. Its military has fought alongside the U.S. in several campaigns, including the war in Afghanistan, and American soldiers are stationed in Abu Dhabi.
'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH'
Trump campaign's national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that a second Trump presidency would "once again deliver peace through strength to rebuild and expand the peace coalition he built in his first term to create long-term safety and security in the Middle East and around the world."
Before Trump, Washington had rebuffed requests for jet fighters from Middle East nations because of a policy to ensure that Israel maintained a military advantage over its neighbours.
Trump enjoyed warm relations with the wealthy Gulf states. UAE President
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the White House in 2017 when he was the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
He has not visited the White House during the Biden administration, but in 2022 met in Jeddah with President Biden.
The sources did not say what the UAE would do if Vice President
Kamala Harris, the Democrat nominee, won the election. The Harris campaign declined to comment. Harris visited the UAE in 2022 and 2023, meeting with Sheikh Mohammed and other senior Emirati government officials.
The Biden administration has discussed the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia as part of
negotiations for a bilateral defense treaty and Riyadh establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.
The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters questions on what conditions would need to be met for the UAE sale to go ahead before the end of Biden’s term in January.
In recent years there have been signs of strain over some issues between the U.S. and UAE, including
Emirati frustrations at conditions set by the Biden administration for the F-35 deal and U.S. pressure on the UAE over the evasion of sanctions on
Iran and
Russia by companies operating in the country.
U.S. lawmakers had questioned whether the UAE acquiring F-35s would undermine Israel's military advantage, although Emirati officials said establishing diplomatic ties with Israel should address those concerns. Israel has said it does
not oppose the deal and has
supplied air defence systems to the UAE.
The U.S. also worries about the UAE's relations with China.
The UAE, which operates American-made F-16 and French-made Mirage 2000-9s fighter jets, has close economic and trade ties with Beijing that recently
expanded to joint air force drills.
The UAE has
bought Chinese 'light attack' jets and the UAE's communications infrastructure uses Chinese technology that the U.S. believes could jeopardize the security of American military systems. Abu Dhabi has also
ordered French made Rafale fighters.
