RIYADH: As anticipation builds for what is being dubbed a truly historic meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump in Washington, a veteran American diplomat with decades of experience across the Middle East says opportunities for cooperation and expansion of the Saudi-US partnership are increasing.
“The nature of our relationship can be as diverse as the Saudi economy is becoming,” Michael Ratney, who served as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia from April 2023 to January 2025, said during an appearance on “Frankly Speaking,” the weekly Arab News current affairs show.
According to Ratney, Saudi-US relations can no longer be reduced to a simple oil-for-defense formula; instead, the partnership reflects new economic realities and expanding areas of cooperation.
“I think once upon a time, oil and defense really dominated the relationship. And the big change was really Saudi’s decision to start diversifying its economy,” he said. “And that created huge opportunities for cooperation with the US, particularly with the US companies.”
That shift began in earnest on April 25, 2016, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Vision 2030, a national strategy aimed at transforming Saudi Arabia into a more balanced, competitive and resilient economy.
